Sewage has been discharged into Cornwall's waterways despite an official drought being declared in the county.
South West Water's website shows that the monitor at Town Quay pumping station overflow in Fowey was activated between 9.03am and 10.56pm, a total of 1 hour and 53 minutes, and again between 8.55pm and 11.18pm on 16 August, a total of two hours and 23 minutes.
Sewage discharges occurred at the same overflow, which is owned and operated by South West Water, a day earlier. On 15 August, sewage was discharged between 8.18am and 10.25am and between 8.07pm and 10.57pm.
The overflow spills into the River Fowey estuary, near popular bathing spots such as Whitehouse Beach, Polkerris Beach, and Readymoney Cove. Meanwhile, a part of the River Fowey in Lostwithiel gained official designated bathing water status with routine Environment Agency testing.
The incidents follow a drought being declared in Cornwall on 29 July after record-breaking dry weather, which saw river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir storage decline across much of the country.
England recorded its driest July on record, with some areas receiving no rain. Meanwhile, water firms are losing 2.6 billion litres of water each day due to leakages, per Environment Agency data.
Devon and Cornwall received 7mm of rain in July, just eight per cent of the long term average, figures show. The Environment Agency said this was the driest July since records began in 1871, although a wet winter meant reservoirs were higher than during the drought in June 2022.
Storm overflows are effectively safety valves on the wastewater network. When the system becomes too full, typically following heavy rainfall, storm overflows release the excess.
Their use during a drought has sparked backlash from water safety campaigners, who said the discharges were not "one-off accidents".
A spokesperson for Surfers Against Sewage said: "It's simply unacceptable that in the middle of an official drought, South West Water is discharging sewage at Cornwall's coastal beauty spots, while families and locals are out enjoying the water.
"This isn't a one-off accident; it's what happens when a system is built to protect profit over public health.
"The only fix is ending the profit motive that drives this broken model, and the government must deliver that change and clean up our waters."
This Friday is expected to be the busiest on the roads for more than a decade, with millions of holidaymakers scrambling to get away for the weekend.
leisure trips will be made between Friday and Monday, the highest number since 2015.
journeys are predicted on Friday alone. Saturday will see 3.8 million journeys. Sunday and Monday won't be quite so busy, with 3.8 million and 3.1 million respectively. Another 5.5 million don't yet know which day they'll travel.
It looks like Brits are buoyed by the persistent warm and dry conditions, making
Sewage Discharged at Cornish Beach After 7mm of Rain