Pollution warnings remain in place at a number of beaches along the Dorset coastline.

An interactive map online at Surfers Against Sewage notifies that there are seven beaches along the coast which are still affected by sewage discharge.

The affected areas include:

  • Seatown - A sewer overflow discharges 220m upstream of the beach in the River Winniford.
  • Chesil Cove - Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
  • Castle Cove - There is a sewer overflow from the Castle Cove pumping station that discharges into the harbour.
  • West Bay - Sewer overflow in the vicinity over the past two days.
  • Sandsfort Castle - One sewer overflow discharging directly onto the beach here.
  • Weymouth, Lodmoor - Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location
  • Swanage Central - Three sewer overflows affect bathing water quality here following discharge over past two days.

These warnings come into place after sewage has entered the sea over the past 48 hours.

It follows a weekend where the county was hit by major storms which prompted a yellow weather warning from the MET Office.

The forecaster warned of heavy thunderstorms with the potential for flash flooding and disruption across Dorset.

A statement Wessex Water said: “Storm overflows are permitted by the Environment Agency and operate automatically, releasing mostly stormwater during or after intense rainfall to prevent sewage flooding in people’s homes.

“Wessex Water is spending £3 million a month to help reduce the frequency of discharges, part of a £150 million investment programme between 2022 and 2025.

“We were the first UK water and sewerage company to provide overflow discharge alerts 365 days a year, with complete coverage of all bathing waters in our area, and we notify Surfers Against Sewage whenever they operate.”