Old Roar Gill

Further update: Tuesday 11 July

We have received the following update from Southern Water:

"Following a report of a possible pollution in the Buckshole Reservoir area, a team attended on site last night. We tested in three different places including two surface water outfalls. A sample was also collected from the downstream watercourse and there were no issues found in any of the samples.

"The misconnections team has been investigating the Park View catchment but the nearby surface water outfall was clear. We have revisited again today to check these surface water lines and results continue to show no issues. As a precautionary measure, our consultants are also going to collect samples down to the Pelham Beach outfall."

If you spot an incident, please ensure this is reported directly to Southern Water for them to investigate.

Update: Tuesday 11 July

We have received reports from residents of sewage being seen in the water in the spillway from Buckshole reservoir in the upper part of Alexandra Park. We have asked Southern Water and the Environment Agency to investigate and update on the situation urgently. In the meantime we advise you to take precautions and do not allow dogs or anyone to go in the water in the stream.

Update: Thursday 29 June

Southern Water is responsible for the clean-up work following sewer leaks around the Old Roar Gill (a Local Nature Reserve), north of Buckshole Reservoir in Alexandra Park. The Environment Agency is responsible for the regulation of Southern Water. Hastings Borough Council continues to monitor the clean-up work.

The council is pressing for a full disclosure of what has happened and a full review of the incident once the work has been completed. This will include an impact analysis on the woodland waterway, ecology of the water bodies and streams in Alexandra Park.

Wednesday 14 June:

Hastings Borough Council continues to monitor the clean up work being done by the Environment Agency and Southern Water around the Old Roar Gill area. The work is the responsibility of Southern Water.

The council will ensure that a full review of the incident is carried out once the work has been completed. This will include a full ecological impact assessment of the sewage outpouring and an impact analysis on the waterway and ecology of the water bodies and streams in Alexandra Park.

Southern Water have created a webpage with updates on the incident.