Swimmers spotted in sea at Blackpool hours after raw sewage leak warning

Dozens of swimmers have taken a dip in the sea at Blackpool despite being urged not to following a sewage leak. A 'no swim' warning has been issued for eight beaches on the Fylde coast, in Lancashire, including the famous resort town.

The warning was given yesterday (June 13) and remains in place today, but almost 50 swimmers were spotted in the water at Blackpool this morning. They included a number of children, Lancs Live reports.

Urgent repair works are currently taking place after a pipe burst at the wastewater treatment works in nearby Fleetwood. Untreated water mixed with rainwater was 'released into the sea' following thunderstorms on Sunday night.

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The pipe usually carries water to the sea after it has been treated and cleaned, but the system reached full capacity when almost 40mm of rain fell in around two hours. Blackpool's entire seafront is included in the 'no swim' warning.

The treatment works is now running at a reduced rate while engineers plan and carry out the repair work to the pipe which lies nine metres underground. Bosses at United Utilities say due to the 'location and complexity' of the repair, and to ensure the work is carried out safely, this is 'expected to take some time' while engineers install 2,000 metres of temporary pumps and overland pipework.

United Utilities says it is balancing storage levels in the wastewater network along the Fylde Coast and using tankers around the clock to help reduce pressure on the site by transporting wastewater to other treatment sites. Blackpool Council, Fylde Council and Wyre Council are advising that the public should not swim at the following beaches until further notice:

Mark