Littlestone-on-Sea is a resort beach in the middle of a 20 kilometre (km) stretch
of beach in Hythe Bay, Kent. Hythe Bay stretches from Folkestone down to the headland
of Dungeness. The bathing water is a steeply shelving shingle bank with sand dunes
at the southern edge. Wide shallow sand and mud flats are exposed at low tide, resulting
in a long distance to the sea. Fine sediments suspended in the water column leave
the water cloudy at times. To the south there is a life boat station and an outfall
right next to it. The outfall of the New Romney Main Sewer is situated at the northern
edge of the bathing water.
Queen's Road storm overflow discharges into the local marsh drainage system, which
then discharges onto the beach via an outfall 200 metres north of the bathing water
sampling point. Discharges from these storm overflows occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms
the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow.
UV disinfection was installed at New Romney sewage treatment works in 1992 and upgraded
in 1999. The effluent drains into a marsh drainage ditch which then discharges across
the beach in the south of the bathing water. This discharge is designed to protect
bathing water compliance. A scheme to provide New Romney, Greatstone-on-Sea and the
nearby Lydd-on-Sea with mains drainage for the first time was completed in 2007. Hundreds
of properties served by private drainage facilities (including cesspools and septic
tanks) can now be connected to the main sewer network. The waste water goes to New
Romney sewage treatment works. Better treatment at the nearby Hythe sewage treatment
works was installed in 2001, which discharges via a long sea outfall into the north
of Hythe Bay. This improved quality within Hythe Bay, which stretches from Folkestone
down to the headland of Dungeness. In 2016, Southern Water undertook an investigation
of the sewer integrity in the Littlestone Sewerage catchment. This included sewer
cleaning and CCTV surveys. No sewer sections were identified as requiring rehabilitation.
Under the programme of works for Southern Water (from 2020 to 2022) investigations
within the catchment were carried out. This will help to identify where bathing water
improvements may be needed in the future.
Regular occurrences of reduced water quality triggered a series of Environment Agency
investigations into the sources of contamination in Littlestone from 1999 onwards.
Some exceedances have been attributed to storm overflow discharges and contamination
from marsh drains. The reason for the frequent exceedance of guideline standards,
which occur particularly during the holiday season, is not yet identified. There is
a drainage ditch, which receives the effluent from New Romney sewage treatment works
and discharges onto the beach in regular intervals. Diffuse agricultural pollution
from the marsh drainage may also affect bathing water quality. There also is a high
number of private sewerage systems in place especially towards Greatstone. Since the
sewer network was recently extended to serve this previously un-sewered area, the
impact of private discharges should start to decrease if households connect to the
system.
For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae)
was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being
present on 54% of visits. The shore can become covered with seaweed, depending on
tides and the weather. Groynes, rocks and other fixed objects may have a covering
of seaweed which can be slippery.
Modern sewerage systems have two separate systems, one takes foul sewage to sewage
treatment, the other takes rainwater runoff through surface water drains to rivers,
lakes and the sea. Misconnections occur when waste water pipes are plumbed into surface
water drains instead of the foul water sewerage system. This can give rise to pollution
when the waste water is discharged directly to the environment through the surface
water drain. For example, a washing machine or toilet may be incorrectly plumbed so
that it discharges to the surface drain rather than the foul sewage drain.
For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton
(microscopic algae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but
was observed as being present on 5% of visits. Microscopic algae (phytoplankton) increase
in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as a phytoplankton bloom.
Blooms of phytoplankton can result in the water appearing discoloured or a foam forming
on the water.
The risks to human health from contact, ingestion or inhalation with marine algae
that currently occur in UK coastal waters are considered to be low. However, some
individuals may be more sensitive and display some reactions.
A common marine algae found in UK coastal waters is Phaeocystis, which is often mistaken
for sewage as it forms foam and a brown scum, but it is non-toxic.
The Environment Agency makes a daily pollution risk forecast at this site based on
the effects of tide, wind and seasonality on bathing water quality. These factors
affect the levels of bacteria that get washed into the sea from livestock, sewage
and urban drainage via rivers and streams and how they disperse.
When these factors combine to cause a temporary reduction in water quality, we will
issue a pollution risk warning on this website. Water quality will typically return
to normal after a day or so, but it’s possible to have several warning days in a row.
Details of the work to reduce the sources of bacteria at this bathing water are detailed
in this profile.
No warnings were issued last season as this site is new to PRF.
All bathing waters have the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if
this occurs a pollution risk warning will be issued with associated advice against
bathing on this website.
The New Romney Main Sewer drains through the marsh land and into the sea through an
outfall pipe in the north of the bathing water. During periods of heavy rainfall,
diffuse pollution from agricultural run-off may have an adverse effect on bathing
water quality.
New Romney sewage treatment works discharges into an approximately 1 km long marsh
drainage ditch. The water in the ditch gets pumped onto the beach. The outfall is
located 200 metres north of the sampling point, near the life boat pier. This discharge
is designed to protect bathing water compliance.
Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every
visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar. At Littlestone
for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris
was not noted at this site. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable,
but was observed as being present on 88% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at
this site.
In 2005, Defra launched the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative
in partnership with the Environment Agency and Natural England. The initiative aimed
to reduce the negative effect of farming operations on the quality of surface and
ground water by raising farmer awareness and promoting catchment sensitive farming.
It put Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers into priority catchments and resourced
them to help farmers improve farming practices and reduce water pollution from agriculture.
Most of the Romney area was included as a catchment under the Catchment Sensitive
Farming Delivery Initiative.
A partnership group including the Environment Agency, Folkestone and Hythe District
Council and Southern Water are working together to better understand the pollution
sources which can affect bathing water quality and put measures in place to make improvements.
A scheme completed in 2007 provides the opportunity of first-time sewer connection
for properties in the Greatstone and Lydd areas. Properties in these areas are, or
were previously, served by private sewerage systems. Property owners decide if they
want to connect to the sewer or not. At least 20% have connected to the new sewer.
The drainage catchment surrounding the bathing water is approximately 1200 hectares.
It is formed of the towns of New Romney, Littlestone-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea,
and the surrounding New Romney Marshes with a network of drainage ditches. The New
Romney Main Sewer drains into the sea through an outfall pipe in the north of the
bathing water. Discharges from a 1 km long drainage ditch, which receives effluents
from New Romney sewage treatment works, gets pumped onto the beach via an outfall
pipe 200 metres south of the bathing water sampling point.
Seaweed (macroalgae) and phytoplankton (microscopic algae) are a natural part of the
marine and freshwater environment. Below we note whether these have been recorded
in quantities sufficient to be a nuisance.
The majority of sewers in England are “combined sewers” and carry both sewage and
surface water from roofs and drains. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall
when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow
prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. An emergency
overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage
in the sewerage system.
Heavy rain falling on pavements and roads often flows into surface water drains or
highway drains, ending up in local rivers and ultimately the sea. The quality of bathing
water may be adversely affected as a result of such events.
It is the Environment Agency role to drive improvement of water quality at bathing
waters that are at risk of failing higher standards. It is natural for water to run
off the land to the sea. Water quality at a bathing water is dependent upon the type
and area of land (the catchment) draining to the water and the activities undertaken
in that catchment.