Exmouth - a sewage system fit for the future

We met again this afternoon with the UK Health Security Agency, East Devon District Council and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to review the latest information.

Based on the sample results we shared, the UK Health Security Agency considers the risk to human health from swimming in Exmouth bathing water to be low. Considering this advice, we are removing our advice against bathing.

East Devon District Council will remove the warning signs from the beach as soon as possible.

Please continue to avoid Littleham Brook

While the bathing water is no longer affected, we continue to advise people and animals to stay out of Littleham Brook. Warning signs remain in place and should be followed.

The situation is improving, but some pollutant remains in sediment on the bed of the stream. If this sediment is disturbed, there is a risk that pollution could be released downstream and potentially reach the sea.

Our officers have successfully contained much of the pollutant using sandbags. Specialist contractors are now trialling options to remove the remaining material from the stream. We expect to receive their recommendations shortly and will decide on the next steps.

We will continue to monitor the situation

We are continuing to monitor conditions closely, particularly with rain forecast for Sunday afternoon.

If there is significant rainfall, there is a possibility that pollution could be carried downstream and affect the bathing water again. At present, the pollutant remains settled on the stream bed and there is no evidence that it is reaching the sea.

If conditions change, we may need to reinstate our advice against bathing. Please check Swimfo before swimming for the latest information.

As always, we recommend following the Swim Healthy guidance when swimming in open water.

Why we cannot yet identify the pollutant

We know many people want to know exactly what the pollutant was.

In most cases we would be able to share this information. However, in this instance, doing so could identify the source of the pollution before our investigation is complete.

At this stage, we cannot provide details of any individual, business or organisation that may be linked to the incident. Releasing information prematurely could compromise any criminal investigation or future legal proceedings.

When we are able to share more information, we will do so. However, completing our investigation may take several months.

What we can confirm is that the incident was linked to a chemical spill from premises in Exmouth. It was not sewage pollution.

We ask people not to speculate about the source of the pollution while our investigation is ongoing.

Our priority remains understanding any potential risk to human health.

We have started receiving results from laboratory analysis today. Once all results have been received, we will share them with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who will assess any potential public health risks. Our advice not to bathe in the affected area will remain in place until we receive UKHSA's assessment.

We understand this will be disappointing for those who use and enjoy the water. However, it is important that any decision to change our advice is based on a full assessment of the available evidence.

We are assessing the potential to work with our pollution remediation contractor to remediate any remaining polluting material in the Littleham Brook and have been out on the river over the weekend putting some sandbag walls in place at two locations to limit any further downstream movement of the pollutant.

This remains a live investigation. At this stage, we cannot provide details of any individual, business or organisation that may be linked to the incident. Releasing information about potential sources before our investigation is complete could compromise any criminal investigation or future legal proceedings.

Our officers continue to gather and assess evidence to establish the cause of the pollution and identify those responsible. If we find evidence of offences, we will consider the most appropriate regulatory or enforcement action.

Any enforcement action will be taken in line with the Environment Agency's Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. This means we will consider the available evidence, the seriousness of any offence, the environmental harm caused, and which enforcement response is most appropriate in the circumstances.

We understand the concern this incident has caused locally. Protecting rivers, coastal waters, wildlife and the communities that depend on them is a vital part of our work. Where the evidence shows environmental legislation has been breached, we will take appropriate action.

We know many of you have questions about the pollution incident at Littleham Brook in Exmouth. Here's where things stand.

What we're doing now: Our investigation continues, including work to identify exactly what the pollutant is and how much has entered the brook.

How serious is this? We've classed this as a Category 1 incident, the most serious pollution category. This reflects the severe environmental impact and the significant time the brook will need to recover.

What is happening now? Both the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are testing the samples that we have recently taken from the Brook.

UKHSA and APHA will provide advice on whether there is a public or animal health risk. This advice will be made available and shared as soon as is possible.

Our advice to you right now: Please continue to avoid bathing at Exmouth and avoid all contact - for people, pets and livestock - with Littleham Brook until we advise otherwise.

We'll share updates as soon as we have more information.

We have been sent the below statement from Ofwat, which we wanted to share with you and may inform your consultation response.

In September 2025, Ofwat concluded an enforcement investigation with South West Water in relation to how it operated its wastewater treatment works and networks. It found that the company had failed to construct, operate and maintain a large proportion of its wastewater assets to ensure sufficient performance. Ofwat accepted legally binding undertakings requiring the company to address capacity and resilience issues across its wastewater assets. The company is now required to develop and deliver a remediation plan to address identified issues as quickly and efficiently as reasonably possible, taking account of deliverability, affordability and financeability.

As part of the remediation plan Maer Lane WWTW requires further investigation and remediation due to several existing performance concerns.

Ofwat is aware that these existing issues are relevant when considering the new outfall at Straight Point, which will see the transfer of additional flows to Maer Lane WWTW as a result of South West Water revising its WINEP schemes at Maer Road and Phear Park pumping stations. As part of its remediation plan South West Water must ensure that its WWTW can and will continue to be able to handle the flows coming to them. In the case of Maer Lane WWTW, this should include any additional flows arising from the company's revised WINEP scheme solutions.

Ofwat will take these matters into account when agreeing, and subsequently monitoring, the company's remediation plan, helping to hold the company to account for the delivery timescales it has committed to and continuing to challenge it on whether there are opportunities to deliver faster. If the company fails to deliver in line with its commitment in its undertakings Ofwat can take further enforcement action. Ofwat will also keep under review whether there is any further action it must take as a result of its failure to deliver its original WINEP scheme outcomes on time.

There were two environmental incidents last week in Exmouth.

On Wednesday 9 September, South West Water (SWW) notified us of a spill from the Exmouth Sewage Treatment Works. The spill started at approximately 6am and stopped at approximately 9am. It entered the surface water drainage system and a watercourse which discharges to the Exmouth Bathing Water. One of our officers attended the site to investigate and take samples. Sampling on site showed elevated levels of ammonia in the watercourse.

We issued advice against bathing on the Swimfo website (Bathing water profile) which stayed in place for two tidal cycles (24 hours) from the time the discharge stopped, and was removed on Thursday morning, at which point we judged there was no longer a risk to water users from this incident.

On Friday 11 September, at 4.30pm, we received a report of a pollution incident on the Littleham Brook. An unknown pollutant, blue in colour, was discharging from a surface water drain into the watercourse. Our officers visited the site to investigate and we issued precautionary advice against bathing.

That night, we were able to trace the pollution back to an industrial related source and can confirm that it stopped at around 1am Saturday morning.

The pollution was not associated with the sewage network. Although the source had stopped, the pollutant continued to slowly move down the watercourse and reached the bathing water Saturday afternoon.

While the level of blue colouration in the water in the Littleham Brook had decreased by Sunday, water quality testing was still recording high ammonia and alkalinity (pH 8.1 – 8.9).

We are continuing our investigations on site today, including fish and ecological surveys. Some of this work may temporarily disturb material in the stream and increase the amount of pollutant in the water.

We are also investigating the source of the pollution to identify exactly what was discharged and understand its chemical makeup. This will help us assess how harmful it may be to the environment and decide what action is needed.

Although there is minimal visible impact to the bathing water, our advice against bathing at the downstream Exmouth bathing water will remain in place until water quality in the Littleham Brook returns to normal (Bathing water profile).

Please be reassured that we will continue to investigate the causes of both of these incidents and take appropriate enforcement action.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our drop-in event last week. We hope it was helpful and that we were able to answer your questions.

It was great to hear from people with first-hand knowledge of the Exmouth coastline. Your local insight is valuable and will help us make informed decisions when assessing the permit applications.

The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 6 October 2026.

When a consultation closes, our permitting team gathers every response received through the online portal, by post and by email. They read every response and group comments into themes. Some responses may contribute to more than one theme.

As we review responses, we consider:

• Whether the issue falls within the Environment Agency's regulatory role or another organisation's responsibilities.
• Whether evidence has been provided to support the comments.
• Whether the response contains new information we do not already hold.
• Whether that information affects our assessment of the application against environmental standards and legal requirements, including impacts on people, wildlife and protected waters.

The most helpful responses focus on the content of the permit application as well as issues that fall within our regulatory role. This helps us assess the application fairly and make decisions based on relevant environmental evidence.

While we cannot reply to every individual response, we will address the themes raised in our draft decision document. Where comments relate to matters outside our regulatory responsibilities, we will explain this clearly.

For consultations that attract significant public interest, we may carry out a second consultation on our draft decision. We do this when we are minded to issue a permit. This gives you the opportunity to review the draft permit and decision document and see how your consultation responses have informed our assessment. You can also provide further comments at this stage.

We assess comments from any further consultation in the same way. If we receive new information that affects our assessment, we will update the draft decision document to reflect it.

We must follow the Regulator's Code, which requires us to support those we regulate to comply with the law and improve their environmental performance. This means we can only refuse a permit where there is evidence that the application does not meet legal, policy or environmental requirements.

If the evidence shows that we cannot issue the permit, we will refuse the application. In these circumstances, there would be no further consultation. The applicant would have the right to appeal our decision.

We’ve received updated modelling for Exmouth that gives a clearer picture of how the new Maer Lane Wastewater Treatment Works outfall is expected to operate over time.

Unlike the previous worst-case scenario modelling, this study looks at a 10-year period and reflects more realistic conditions. This gives a more accurate understanding of the outfall's likely performance and potential effects.

We want everyone to have enough time to review this new information and consider what it means. That’s why we’ve extended the consultation until 11:59pm on 6 October.

You can find the updated documents on Citizen Space as Documents 95 and 96.

Permit Numbers: 003174/FU/02, 201965, 200124 and 200126

Clean and healthy coastal waters matter to the people, wildlife and businesses that depend on them. We are now consulting on applications from South West Water Limited (SWW) to change its environmental permits for a new long sea outfall near Exmouth.

SWW has invested in improvements to its wastewater treatment system in Exmouth. One of the important changes is a new long sea outfall, around 300 metres south of Straight Point.

The new outfall moves treated wastewater, and storm sewage during periods of heavy rainfall, further offshore rather than into Exmouth Bay. We know this change alone is not enough. SWW will still need to meet their obligations as set out in the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). But this is a positive step. It should reduce how often storm overflows affect Exmouth Beach bathing water and help improve water quality in the area.

Reducing the risk of pollution in Exmouth Bay
On 15 July, we issued SWW with a Local Enforcement Position (LEP). If SWW meets the conditions of the LEP, it can begin using the new outfall. We will not normally take enforcement action for operating outside its environmental permits while those conditions are met. This change should help reduce the risk of pollution reaching Exmouth Bay sooner rather than later. You can read more in our article further down on this page.

To make this arrangement permanent, SWW must obtain changes to its environmental permits. On Tuesday 4 August, a public consultation is open on those applications.

What is an environmental permit?

An environmental permit sets legally binding conditions that an operator must meet.

The environmental permits would set out how SWW must manage discharges from Exmouth Wastewater Treatment Works and other parts of its network. They would also set requirements for monitoring, reporting and demonstrating compliance.

SWW must show that its proposals meet environmental standards, comply with Environment Agency policy, and protect people, wildlife and designated sites, including shellfish waters, bathing waters and conservation areas. Its applications explain how it will manage and reduce environmental risks.

Before we make a decision, we must be satisfied that these measures are robust, proportionate and capable of protecting the environment.

How do we assess permit applications?

Our job is to make sure permit applications meet the requirements of environmental law and protect the environment and human health.

We will assess how the proposed discharges could affect the environment and protected waters, including Exmouth, Sandy Bay and Budleigh Salterton bathing waters, and Sandy Bay and Lyme Bay shellfish waters.

The discharge would consist of secondary treated sewage effluent, disinfected using ultraviolet (UV) treatment at Exmouth Wastewater Treatment Works. During periods of heavy rainfall, it may also include settled storm effluent.

We use technical evidence to assess whether the proposal meets environmental standards and legal requirements. This includes considering its potential impact on people, wildlife and protected waters.

Where appropriate, we also seek advice from other organisations to help inform our assessment.

What should you include in your consultation response?

Please focus your response on the changes SWW has applied to make to its water discharge permits, and the potential effects on water quality and nearby protected sites.

We can only consider comments that relate to these proposed permit changes.

We cannot take account of comments about:

• wider infrastructure changes proposed by SWW in Exmouth
• matters that fall within the Local Authority's planning responsibilities
• parts of the permits that SWW has not applied to change

Keeping responses focused on the proposed permit changes will help us assess the application fairly and make decisions based on the relevant environmental evidence.

So that we can make sure the points you raise are captured accurately please respond to the consultation in writing'. If this is not possible contact the number on the permit consultation page so that we can make further arrangements for you.

What happens next?

The consultation will close on 6 October at 11:59pm.

We’re working with Exmouth Town Council to hold a public engagement event in early September, held at the Town Hall. This will be an opportunity to speak with us directly, ask questions about the consultation and get support if you need help taking part. We'll tell you more about this event soon.

When the consultation closes, we will review every comment we receive alongside the technical evidence submitted with the application.

Our permitting officers and specialist advisers will then assess the application and reach a draft decision.

If we decide to refuse the application, SWW will have the right to appeal.

If we are minded to issue the permit variations, we will hold a further consultation on our draft variations and draft decision documents. This will give you an opportunity to comment on the proposed permit conditions and see how we have considered the feedback received during this consultation.

We will keep interested parties informed as the process progresses. We will also consult again if any of the application documents change significantly.

How can you take part?

You can comment on these permit variation applications from 4 August 2026.

The application documents will be available to read through our consultation portal, Citizen Space, once it opens:

Citizen Space Consultation: South West Water Limited, 003174/FU/02, 201965, 200124 and 200126: environmental permit variations consultation.

We can only consider issues that relate to the environmental permit variations and our regulatory responsibilities. Our decision must be based on technical evidence, and we are bound by the Regulator's Code.

Consultation deadline

We must receive your comments by 11:59pm on 6 October 2026.

You can respond through Citizen Space or contact us using the details below.

Email: pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk

Post: Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF

Need information in another format?

If you need help accessing this consultation, please contact us:

Email: DCISEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Phone: 03708 506 506

We may charge for copying costs.

Exmouth Town Council can help if you require a printed copy of the non-technical summary of the permit changes, which can be collected from the town hall. Please contact them during their opening times 9am – 4pm Monday – Friday.

Email: reception@exmouth.gov.uk

Phone: 01395 276167

For more information about environmental permits, visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-an-environmental-permit

We have concluded our 13-month investigation into pollution incidents that took place in Exmouth in 2023 and 2024. Now that all relevant evidence has been collected, as regulator we have taken the decision to prosecute South West Water.

Ten charges have been laid at Exeter Magistrates’ Court. The date for the first hearing is 14 October 2026 at 10am.