Thanet Council is battling a sewage crisis after heavy rain led to stormwater being released into the sea close to popular beaches.
A clean up operation is under way across parts of its coastline around the resorts of Margate and Broadstairs following discharges from pumping stations run by Southern Water.
The incident has led to several beach closures – fuelling concerns that businesses will be adversely affected during the peak summer season.
The council said visitors were being warned not to enter certain areas of water as ‘a precautionary measure whilst further investigation takes place’ but that other areas of beach remained open.
It added: ‘Council officers are out on site around the Thanet coastline to monitor the impact and will update members of the public as soon as the situation changes.
‘The council is working with the Environment Agency to reduce the impact of the spillages as much as possible and water sample tests will be carried out in the areas affected today to assess the quality of the water. Southern Water have contractors out clearing the waterline.
‘The council is keen to reassure members of the public that other beaches across the district are fully open and will advise if the area affected extends to any other beaches.’
Southern Water said the pumping stations had worked as expected.
‘Releases like this are in line with approved flood prevention and environmental protection measures and are vital to prevent flooding of homes, streets and gardens during heavy rain.
‘A sewerage network cannot operate as a closed system. It must have in place a stormwater release mechanism to safely get rid of excess water during storms. Therefore, stormwater releases like this will happen up and down the UK coast during heavy rain.’