Brighton sea pollution is weighing on local swimmers as repeated sewage alerts and concerns about water quality cast a shadow over a record-hot summer on England’s coast.
Jo Armstrong, 75, who lives in Lewes and usually takes daily dips in Seaford, said she has avoided the sea there for a week because of pollution, making Brighton her fallback. “There’s a tiny bit of rain and then the sewage comes,” she said, adding that it was remarkable that clean beaches could not be relied upon.
Public data shows Brighton beach received two sewage alerts in August and 158 alerts have been recorded in 2025. The scrutiny comes in the same week campaigners ranked water companies by environmental harm and further sewage incidents were reported, according to environmental groups and official datasets.
Brighton sea pollution worries deter new and seasoned swimmers
For many in the city, checking spill warnings now rivals the ritual of scanning tides and weather. Hildi Mitchell, 55, who runs Pool to Pier, a programme helping pool swimmers transition to open water, said anxiety about illness is keeping people on land. “There are swimmers who have swum with us in the pool all year but won’t come out in the sea in the summer because they’re worried about becoming ill,” she said.
Mitchell said she routinely checks for sewage discharges before outdoor sessions and wishes swimming “anywhere” did not require navigation around pollution risks. Through Pool to Pier she also offers free workshops to children from low-income families and said that open-water swimming should be a low-cost, accessible way to keep children active, yet often is not.
Some swimmers have opted for chlorinated alternatives. Brighton resident Greg Veros, 59, who has swum all his life, said he believes he fell ill a few years ago after exposure to sewage in the sea. He now relies more on the city’s outdoor pool, which he calls a dependable substitute when storms or alerts interrupt sea swimming.
Others insist that the sea remains irreplaceable. Mitchell described the ocean as a place of freedom, without lanes or constraints. “It’s about freedom,” she said. “You’re not constrained by the black line on the pool.”
Anna Field, 54, moved to Brighton to swim regularly and said checking for sewage spills has become as routine as checking the forecast. She has occasionally arrived at the beach to a detectable sewage smell, though she noted this has been less frequent during recent dry weather. When pollution blocks access, she likened it to being unable to walk in a park because of rain, except in this case, she feels people are responsible.
Field said she is more angry than sad. She loves the ocean’s shifting moods and colors and worries that a simple public pleasure is becoming harder to enjoy. “Swimming is such a nice thing for people to be able to do and it’s public,” she said. “It would be a real shame if that was less accessible.”