WORK has still not started to remove a Victorian sewer located deep below the sand at West Bay despite attempts to start it over a year ago.
It was originally planned that the Victorian sewer at East Beach would be removed in March last year as natural coastal erosion had began to expose the brick sewer as well as other materials such as sheet piling and concrete debris.
Wessex Water had planned to remove the remains of the sewer, which can only be located using GPS surveys, along with other redundant infrastructure over a period of three weeks.
Read more: Works to remove Victorian sewer from West Bay beach on hold
GPS surveys shown that the sewer was located deeper within the sand than originally thought due to storms– meaning the pipework posed no environmental or safety risks. Wessex Water then hoped to reschedule the removal for the end of 2021.
Now, over a year later, the company has revealed the sewer is still buried a long way below the sand so there remains no environmental or safety risk – with the site being checked as recently as Thursday July 21.
A spokesperson for Wessex Water said: “We make regular checks on the out-of-use sewer at East Beach, which is buried deep below the sand and can only be located using GPS surveys.
“There is a chance that Autumn Equinox tides could lower sand levels, so we’ll carry out a more detailed assessment in September. Until then, the brick structure will be left alone.”
Read more: Works to remove Victorian sewer to be removed from East Beach at West Bay
Removing all the assets would require deep digging and considerable disruption, and local knowledge suggests that ‘sand dumps’ tend to occur in the early part of the year and will not clear until they are swept away by Autumn Equinox tides.
The update comes after a swimmer sustained cuts to his chest after coming into contact with an unidentified ‘sharp metal’ object in the sea at West Bay. It was speculated that he was hurt on the Victorian sewer but Wessex Water have confirmed the sewer is made from only brick and concrete – moreover Dorset Council confirmed the incident did not happen at the same location as the sewer.
The project is being carried out with Dorset County Council, the Environment Agency and other regulatory bodies to help minimise any ecological impact.
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