Cleethorpes beach was identified as unsafe to swim in following heavy rainfall in June 2023. ‘Do not swim’ warnings were issued as raw sewage from storm overflows, managed by Anglian Water, flooded the sea via Buck Beck and Lacebey Beck. 

 

In total, Environment Agency figures show raw sewage was discharged into Lacebey Beck for 1063 hours on 142 separate occasions in 2023, with sewage dumped into waterways across Britain totalling 3.6 million hours, a 129% increase from 2022. 

 

Anglian Water were also responsible for 13 sewage dumps, lasting 14 hours, into the water at Cleethorpes beach, creating a dangerous environment capable of hosting waterborne diseases like dysentery and Weil’s disease, of which hospitable admissions have risen by 60% since 2010.

 

This alongside years of underfunding and deregulation have pushed sewage systems to the breaking point, risking job losses and revenue decline for local businesses in the tourism sector.  

 

11 million people visited North East Lincolnshire in 2022, helping to create 7.6% of all jobs in the local area and a visitor economy worth £636 million. But as the quality of water at Cleethorpes and Humberston Fitties beach slips, with the seaside resort losing its prestigious Blue Flag for bathing quality, tourists may begin to opt for alternative destinations, harming already deprived communities. 

 

Yet local MPs, Lia Nici and Martin Vickers continue to vote against laws that would force water companies to reduce the amount of raw sewage dumped into rivers and seas, with both blocking the amendment to the Environment Bill that would’ve required water companies, like Anglian Water, to improve their sewage systems and limit the amount of untreated sewage discharged. 

 

They aren’t alone in worsening the sewage crisis as Lizz Truss as Environment Secretary oversaw £235 million in cuts to the UK’s environment funding, including £24 million in cuts to monitoring services that ensure private water companies don’t dump sewage into water bodies. 

 

Since those cuts, raw sewage dumping in England and Wales has doubled while the profits of private water providers like Anglian Water recorded operating profits of £255.9 million despite soaring customer bills.