Britons have been warned not to swim at more than 80 beaches across the country after heavy rains caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters.
Surfers Against Sewage have issued a warning to those looking to head for UK shores.
The marine conservation charity monitors water quality across the country to keep the public aware of any places affected by sewage.
Using an interactive map to help illustrate the vast number of affected beaches across the UK, Surfers Against Sewage have outlined 83 places to avoid.
A TripAdvisor favorite has made the list, Gorleston Beach, which was named the “Best Beach in the Country” last month.
Britons have been warned not to swim at more than 70 beaches across the country after heavy rains caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters.
The little-known seaside town is bracing for an influx of visitors after Tripadvisor named its beach the best in the UK and 12th best in Europe.
Local residents insisted today that they were not at all surprised by the award for the massive stretch of sand at Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.
But for now, it seems a visit to the hidden gem is off the table thanks to sewage discharged from a sewer overflow within the area.
The charity’s warning read: ‘A large 3km stretch of sand backed by a promenade, gardens and the town with wooden groynes running along its length.
‘Gorleston-on-Sea became popular in Edwardian times and is still a busy seaside resort. Several sewage overflows flow into the Yare River, which empties into the sea at the northern end of the beach.
Other beaches on the list with the warning include Southend Jubilee Beach, Sheerness, Folkestone, Dymchurch, Camber, Bognor Regis and Cowes.
It is also warned not to go to the tourist hotspots of Brighton, Blackpool and Whitstable.
Scarborough, Saltburn, Whitby, Spittal, Amble links, Warkworth, Seaham, Walney Biggar Bank, Pendower are also on the list.
Sewage and agricultural pollution have pushed the UK to the bottom of the list in Europe in terms of bathing water quality rankings.
Contamination can make waters unsafe as people can contract harmful diseases such as antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and viruses.
The group estimates “more than 400,000 raw sewage discharges into UK rivers” and “nearly 5,500 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters”.
Last August, it was revealed that water companies have spent more than nine million hours pumping raw sewage into Britain’s seas and rivers since 2016.
Figures from the Environment Agency reveal the staggering amount dumped in areas that include tourist and bathing spots.
And the Labor Party, which obtained the data under Freedom of Information laws, warned on Friday that the full scale of contamination could be much worse.
Jim McMahon, Labour’s environmental spokesman, accused the water giants of cutting corners to “pump dirty, untreated sewage into our playing fields and into our waters”.
He added: ‘Workers will put an end to this shameful practice by ensuring unlimited fines can be applied, holding water company bosses legally and financially accountable for their negligence, and tightening regulations that currently allow the system to be abused. ‘.
The data shows that, since 2016, raw sewage has been discharged into UK seas and rivers for a total of 9,427,355 hours.
It also shows there has been a 2,553 percent increase in the number of download hours monitored between 2016 and 2021, with the party arguing that the situation is “drastically worsening” under the Conservatives.
In 2016, the Environment Agency recorded 100,533 hours of spills.
By 2021, that number has skyrocketed to 2,667,452.
