The Teignmouth Post has brought South West Water to account over a sewage leak that threatened to make parts of Shaldon beach a no-go area this summer. Discharge was seen coming from a redundant sewer pipe close to the Ness House Hotel although it had long been isolated from the village's sewer system. It was later used by Devon County Council to divert surface water until South West Water complained. 'Teignbridge Council had the discharge tested in April and found it was contaminated with sewage,' said Cllr Chris Clarance, who has campaigned to resolve the problem. 'We sat round and had talks with county highways engineers, Teignbridge engineers and South West Water, but everyone ended up blaming everyone else. 'What I find amazing is that we all talk about pulling together to provide a flood defence scheme for Shaldon and yet we can't co-ordinate ourselves to fix a single sewer.' With the holiday season approaching and no sign of progress Cllr Clarance contacted the Post and in turn we checked with Teignbridge Council. It became apparent that calls from the chief executive's office to South West Water had not been returned and so we contacted them ourselves. Within an hour we received a statement which read: 'South West Water would like to apologise for the delays in fixing a leak on a disconnected culvert on Shaldon Beach, south Devon.' It said the discharge was the result of 'remaining residue' leaking through cracks caused by the tide. Critically, the company took responsibility and stated: 'Due to the sensitive nature of the leak South West Water have pulled forward the planned work and will be completing the repair within the next seven working days.' Cllr Clarance was thrilled with the news as was Teignbridge Council. A spokesman said: 'We are delighted to hear the news and positive that residents and visitors to Shaldon will be reassured to know that action is being taken to safeguard their health and safety. 'It is important that all local public organisations work together to respond to the problems and concerns of customers, and Teignbridge Council has remained firm in requiring action from South West Water on this issue.'
