NORTH Cornwall’s MP has expressed his “complete shock” after new figures show more than 2,700 hours of sewage dumping on Blue Flag Beaches in North Cornwall.

Ben Maguire has spoken out about sewage being dumped into some of North Cornwall’s much-loved beaches.

The beaches of Widemouth Bay, Trevone Bay, Polzeath, Summerleaze and Crooklets in Bude, which have each been awarded ‘Blue Flag Beach’ status, saw a combined sewage discharge for a total of 2,721.06 hours last year, across 148 total spills.

The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism boats. In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained. 

The flags are only awarded to coastal destinations that boast the highest quality of water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management. Over the years, the importance of the Blue Flag Award scheme has driven local councils, managers and organisations to improve the quality of their beaches and maintain it for the public.

The award is widely considered to be the gold standard for beaches across the world.

However, following the announcement, Ben Maguire MP said: "Five of our beautiful beaches down here in North Cornwall, that have each been awarded the ‘blue flag’ status, saw over 140 total sewage spills last year alone. These should be safe, clean, protected spaces for families and holidaymakers alike to enjoy - yet due to failings of water companies, the beaches that are supposed to be some of the best in the UK are often unsafe, unsanitary, and truly can be dangerous if they cause illnesses.”

Mr Maguire has called for this kind of sewage dumping to be ended within the next six years.

He continued: "We’re calling for an end to sewage dumping into bathing waters and highly sensitive nature sites by 2030. This is a local and national scandal, and really undermines the special status that our local beaches have been granted. North Cornwall’s treasured Blue Flag status beaches must be protected from foul sewage dumping."