About

The Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels catchment is in East Sussex and consists of the rural landscape of the High and Low Weald. Within the catchment is the fast growing town of Hailsham and the coastal towns of Seaford, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings. The River Cuckmere rises near Heathfield in East Sussex and flows through the South Downs to reach the English Channel at Cuckmere Haven. The catchment extends to Heathfield in the north, Hailsham to the west and from Seaford to Eastbourne along the coast. The lower part of the catchment is marked by the Cuckmere Haven, which is well known for its educational and recreation value, popular with tourists and for canoeing. The Pevensey Levels is a lowland grazing marsh covering 4,300 hectares between Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea. It is one of the most environmentally important wetland areas in southern Britain, being of national and international importance for its biological diversity, including the fen raft spider. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Ramsar site and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). To the east of the Catchment is the Combe Haven. The rural upper reaches of Powdermill and Watermill Streams drain to the Combe Haven, with the Hollington Stream merging just before it discharges to the sea. The Alexandra Park Stream and Egerton Park Stream flow through Hastings and Bexhill prior to discharging to the English Channel. Urban pressures including misconnections affect the quality of water including that of the priority bathing water at Hastings, which has a potential economic as well as environmental impact.