I am aware of the pollution incident on the Maer in Exmouth caused by faults with South West Water’s rising main, which is also affecting Littleham Brook and bathing waters.
I have already spoken with both South West Water and the Environment Agency to ensure this incident gets dealt with as soon as possible. It is completely unacceptable that we have yet another issue like this.
South West Water are on site attempting to fix the issues and the Environment Agency also have officers there this morning to conduct evidential testing and record the extent of the pollution impact.
There is also a rise in the number of tankers going to and from the Phear Park pumping station.
I’ll be meeting with South West Water’s Chief Operating Officer soon to review their improvement plans for water infrastructure across East Devon. I’ve made it clear that they must improve their resilience as a priority, and funding must be fast-tracked to make that happen.