Heacham’s coastal waters have been classified as “poor” by the Environment Agency since 2021, with the cause of the problem being hotly disputed among experts and locals.
After another ‘poor ‘ result, Sandra Squire, cabinet member for environment at West Norfolk Council, admitted the coastal waters off Heacham may always have high levels of pollution.
Sandra Squire, cabinet member for environment at West Norfolk Council (Image: Norfolk Independent Group)
DNA studies suggest 60pc of the Intestinal Enterococci (IE) recorded may be coming from seabirds, which visit the Wash in huge numbers throughout the year.
IE is the main bacteria causing the problems at Heacham, which is found in human and animal waste and, if ingested, cause severe stomach upsets.
Scientists are yet to gather a full picture of the sources of poor water quality at Heacham, with sewage from misconnections, agricultural run-off and dog waste also contributing.
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Heacham Beach (Image: Chris Bishop)
But Ms Squire warns seabirds may always cause issues at Heacham.
At a recent full council meeting, she said: “Sooner or later we may have to admit, if 60pc of pollution is coming from the bird population, it may be that this area should not be for bathing”.
While DNA evidence suggests seabirds are a major cause, bacteria levels are highest in July and August, .
Beach huts in Heacham (Image: Chris Bishop)
Ms Squire said “we don’t know” why this is the case, but suggested it could be numerous factors, ranging from increased tourism, less or more rainfall or due to birds breeding.
To better understand the problems, the councillor has called for year-round testing at Heacham, as currently it is only conducted in the summer months.
She also wants to see the entire catchment area tested to help identify sources.
Seabirds gather at a river outfall at low tide on Heacham’s beach (Image: Chris Bishop)
“Just testing the bathing water at the beach doesn’t give us enough information to be able to tackle issues,” she said.
Councillors also worried Anglian Water’s (AW) sewage works could be a factor contributing to the problems in the future, after the water firm warned it is nearing capacity and will be unable to cope with any more housing.
Terry Parish, a councillor for the village, said: “AW says going forward Heacham’s wastewater treatment works cannot cope with any more development.
“Would you agree that if a wastewater treatment works cannot cope with the waste put into it then the seawater to which it empties would lose quality and get even poorer?”
Heacham’s sewage treatment works (Image: Owen Sennitt)
Ms Squire said she could not disagree.
“If Anglian Water said they cannot cope, then nothing else should be connected to that sewage works.
“We all know what happens when they can’t cope, we end up with sewage in our streets, our rivers and seas”.
Heacham’s beach looks out over the Wash, an important estuary for seabirds (Image: Chris Bishop)
However, she reiterated that the main source of problems at Heacham is unlikely to be Anglian Water’s sewage network.
“The vast majority of it does not come from sewage,” she added.
While there may not be an easy solution for Heacham’s water quality issues, its reputation and reports of frequent bad smells may be affecting businesses and tourism.
A beach hut in Heacham, displaying a sign saying “Seas the day” (Image: Chris Bishop)
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Anthony Bubb, councillor for Dersingham, said during a recent visit to Heacham’s South Beach, he was met with an “appalling stench of sewage”.
He said: “This is doing nothing for tourists or the café there.”