Residents of the picturesque Cornish seaside village of Portreath have stopped swimming in the sea and using their local beach because of a persistent and unpleasant odour known locally as the "Portreath Pong". The smell, which has plagued the area for years, is caused by a combination of local sewage overflows, the harbour's unique shape, and decomposing seaweed.
Residents speak out over the smell
Simon Haines, 66, who lives in Portreath, described the situation as "disgusting". He said the smell at the beach is "noticeable" and worsens during hot summer months. According to Mr Haines, two Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) discharge a mixture of raw sewage and untreated rainwater directly into the sea.
"They say there are two CSOs just out of the village and they release sewage down," he explained. "They say it's very little but they are leaving them open for a longer period. The seaweed ferments in the harbour and causes the smell there. This is worse in the hot weather and when the tide is out."
Mr Haines now refuses to swim in the sea, and he believes many visitors are unaware of what they are bathing in. "I'll tell you truthfully, I don't swim in the sea here. I wouldn't swim in it," he said. "A lot of the parents don't know what they're allowing their children to swim in. My kids have been swimming in there for around 30 years and they've been sick plenty of times, ear infections mostly."
Long-standing issue for locals and visitors
Mike Gay, 83, has lived in Portreath for 30 years and says the bad smell has been around for as long as he can remember. He often spots sewage discharge in the sea and warns people against bathing in the area. "I'm sure there's sewage discharge in the sea," he said. "I live on top of the hill overlooking the beach and I can see patches of what looks like sewage, well it could be anything really, floating in the water. It usually starts over on the left hand side and works its way across the beach. And you see people in the water but they don't realise they're actually swimming in it."
Tourists have also noticed the smell. Janet Moore, 75, was visiting from London to see her son and said the odour had left her questioning how people can live in the area. "It's especially bad when the tide's out and it's hot. I don't know how people live around here, really?" she said. "I probably wouldn't go in the sea here. This was my husband's favourite place to sit and look out but I'm not sure whether this beach is safe."
Mac Clarkson, 71, says the smell is at its worst around the harbour, which he believes is caused by old seaweed that breaks down and rots to release a sulphur-like odour. "The smell is really bad in the harbour, you hear a lot of locals speaking about it. I think it's just old seaweed and things that build up in there," he explained. "I probably wouldn't buy a house around there. I can understand why people are put off from visiting the beach but I think it's worse in the harbour."
Protests and concerns over future plans
The situation has led Portreath residents to hold public protests at the beach in recent years. Surfers Against Sewage, a UK-based environmental charity, previously issued the beach with sewage alerts for 26 consecutive days in 2023.
There are now further concerns that a new Environment Agency scheme to widen the stream running through Portreath, part of a £17 million flood resilience project, could increase pollution on the beach. About 700 people have signed a petition against the plan, with campaigners arguing it could harm bathing water further.
Chloe Flood, Senior Campaigns Officer at Surfers Against Sewage, said: "This is simply business as usual for our privatised water industry. Rain or shine, sewage pours into our waterways and continues to make people sick. Across July and August this year, water companies dumped sewage into England's waters for over 43,000 hours across July and August and over 2,000 of those hours poured into designated bathing waters like Portreath."
A South West Water spokesperson said: "The storm overflow serving Portreath is not manually 'left open'. It is designed to operate automatically during wet weather to help protect homes, businesses and the sewer network from flooding. We are not aware of any issue affecting its operation and recent monitoring indicates it is operating within its permitted limits." Portreath Parish Council has been approached for comment.
