East Sussex swimmers check sewage alerts like the forecast as beach pollution worsens

Along East Sussex, a swim now often starts with a pollution check. For many beachgoers, weather forecasts and tide times are no longer enough; they also need to see whether sewage has made the sea unsafe.

More people are falling into that habit, especially those who count on the water for exercise, enjoyment, and one of the few no-cost ways to keep moving during spells of hot weather.

Here's what to know

Reporting from Brighton Beach, England, The Guardian described how sewage warnings are changing daily routines for coastal swimmers. Public figures show two sewage alerts at Brighton Beach in August, an improvement in relation to the pace from 2025, when there were 158 total alerts (an average of 13 per month).

Pollution in Seaford has disrupted Jo Armstrong's usual pattern of daily swims, the 75-year-old Lewes resident told the paper. 

"There's a tiny bit of rain, and then the sewage comes. I just don't understand it. It's extraordinary that we can't have clean beaches," she said.

Friends of the Earth has ranked the United Kingdom's water companies by environmental damage, and continuing reports of sewage leaks have kept the issue in view. For swimmers, the consequences show up immediately in missed time in the water, worries about getting sick, and less use of a shared public space.

Hildi Mitchell, 55, who runs the Pool to Pier program that helps swimmers transition safely into open water, said the anxiety is even stopping some people from making the move from pool swimming to the sea. 

"There are swimmers who have swum with us in the pool all year round but won't come out in the sea in the summer because they're worried about becoming ill," she told The Guardian.

More background

As England went through record-breaking heat waves, beaches and rivers took on even more value as inexpensive places to cool down, work out, and spend time together as a family.

Mitchell said Pool to Pier also offers free workshops for children from low-income households. When sewage contamination closes off safe swimming, she said, it cuts families off from a public activity that ought to be straightforward to access. 

"These families already have limited things they can do in the summer to keep their children active, healthy, and entertained. Swimming should be something that's free and available to local families, but it's not, and that's really sad," she said .

After negative experiences, some swimmers say they have adjusted where they go. Greg Veros, 59, who has lived in Brighton for 22 years, told The Guardian that he now relies more on the city's outdoor swimming pool after an illness that he believes was connected to sewage pollution.

Anna Field, 54, who moved to Brighton so she could swim regularly, said there have been times when she could smell sewage at the beach, though she said it has happened less often in drier periods. She said the most infuriating part is that it's not an unavoidable weather or sea conditions issue but a preventable problem.

What's being done?

Mitchell said checking spill information has become as ordinary as looking up the weather or the tides, with public alerts serving as a basic safety check before people enter the sea.

Some Brighton residents have been turning to other options as well. Veros said the city's outdoor pool gives him somewhere else to swim when rain or pollution makes the sea feel unsafe, though it is not a substitute for open water.

Residents' workarounds will not solve the underlying issue. Achieving cleaner beaches requires tighter oversight, improved wastewater systems, and different choices from water companies so that spills are not treated as a routine part of coastal life.

Many locals say they are being left to adjust to damage they did not cause. 

"Swimming is such a nice thing for people to be able to do and it's public, anyone can go in — it would be a real shame if that was less accessible," Field said .

Where can I learn more?

What's happening in East Sussex reflects a broader problem at beaches far beyond this stretch of coast. Sewage and other contamination are keeping people out of the water, while plastic waste and microplastics pollute shorelines and make them harder to use.

• Across the United States, fecal bacteria close beaches and trigger swimming advisories through summer.

• In the U.K., popular beaches face mounting plastic pollution .

• On crowded shores, microplastics linger in beach sand long after the tide recedes.

Stories such as these help explain why so many swimmers check conditions before heading out. They're also a reminder of how important clean coasts are since the beach is one of the few free places to cool off and stay active.

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