An new app for Android and iPhone smartphones, which was developed by the charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and funded by the Environment Agency, has been launched and gives bathers and surfers up-to-date warnings about pollution incidents on beaches. It sends free alerts or messages about sewage discharges and storm water in relation to almost 250 beaches in England and Wales.
This comes as a result of the extremely wet weather observed in 2012 which led to a rise in UK beaches failing to meet minimum standards in water quality.
The new app, called the "Sewage Alert Service", uses data from water companies on combined sewer overflows, which allow untreated sewage and storm water into the sea during heavy rain in order to prevent sewers from backing up.
SAS hopes that the app and its alerts service will allow beach users to bathe safely, by helping them prevent picking up stomach bugs, skin, ear, eye and chest infections or sore throats. However, the app also works in reverse and allows bathers to send messages to water companies and to report pollution incidents to the Environment Agency.
SAS campaign director, Andy Cummins, said, "This truly is an innovative concept, achieved thanks to years of campaigning against secretive combine sewer overflow sewage discharges from water companies."
For more information, see the:
