Urgent 'Do not swim' warning issued at beach after sewage line burst
Fareham Borough Council confirmed that bathing water from Hill Head to Lee-on-the-Solent has been closed due to "sewage pollution".
A sewage pipe had burst in the Salterns Road area of Hill Head on Tuesday evening.
"Do not swim, paddle, or enter the water until further notice," a spokesperson for the council said.
The warning has been in place since 9.52pm on Tuesday, the EA's website said.
A spokesperson for the agency confirmed to the Echo that pollution was "stopped" in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
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The EA's officers had also been on site yesterday to monitor Southern Water's progress with repairs to the sewer.
"As a precaution, we issued guidance against bathing at Lee on Solent," the spokesperson said.
'Today we were on site to monitor Southern Water's progress with repairs. We will update Swimfo when bathing advice is lifted.'
A spokesperson for Southern Water said that they had received "reports of a leaking sewage in the Salterns Road area of Hill Head" on Tuesday evening, and "attended immediately to prevent any impact to the local environment".
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The spokesperson continued: "We temporarily stopped flows through the problem pipe and used tankers to ensure customers could continue to use their toilets, sinks and showers, while repairs have been carried out.
"This work is ongoing, with traffic management in place. We apologise for any disruption caused.
"In close liaison with the EA, we are carrying out detailed modelling of any potential impacts on bathing water quality nearby, but in the meantime, the EA has issued a precautionary bathing water advisory for the area and Fareham Borough Council has chosen to advise against bathing between Hill Head and Lee on the Solent."
The advice not to swim has not come from Southern Water.
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