A paddleboard yoga teacher said she was 'astonished' to receive a visit from the police after emailing a question to her MP about sewage levels in the sea.

Beverley Glock, of Lyme Regis, described the police visit to her home as 'outrageous' and 'an act of intimidation'.

West Dorset MP Chris Loder denies calling the police after receiving the email from Ms Glock but said 'one of the great sadnesses of being an MP is dealing with the threats and risks that we face'.

Ms Glock and her friend Fran Swan, of Fishpond, near Charmouth, sent in questions to Mr Loder ahead of a public meeting in Chideock which he was holding. 

Their questions focused on the issue of sewage being pumped into west Dorset seas by water companies.

After Ms Glock and Ms Swan emailed their queries to Mr Loder ahead of the meeting on November 25, he replied to say the meeting was specifically for Chideock residents. 

On the evening of November 24, Ms Swan received a visit from a Lyme Regis police constable, who had received notification from Mr Loder’s office to find out her intentions in wishing to attend the meeting, a Dorset Police statement said.

The officer had already visited Ms Glock, who was out at the time.

"I was astonished. I teach paddleboard yoga and am in or on the water all the time, so the whole sewage thing is a big issue to me," Ms Glock said.

Water companies are allowed to pump untreated sewage into seas when too much rainfall threatens the capacity of water tanks.

Ms Glock said she had intended to ask Mr Loder about his work with South West Water on managing the sewage issue. 

"If that makes him feel so unsafe then that is just astonishing," she added, calling the tactics an act of 'intimidation'. 

"I have been a Tory girl my whole life and there is no way I will vote Conservative again. It is just outrageous.

"We have so many problems in Lyme with anti-social behaviour and drugs - what are the police doing? 

"Rather than sorting out these problems they are trying to find out why we want to go to a public meeting.

"Lyme Regis is supposed to be the pearl of Dorset and if the sewage carries on, there is going to be a massive issue for tourism."

Dorset Police has since apologised if the attendance of an officer at a home address "caused alarm".

"As the meeting was planned to address local issues in Chideock, the MP’s office advised officers about the planned attendance of two individuals who were not from Chideock," a spokesman said. 

"This type of notification enables police to support MPs, ensuring that their public duties can be undertaken in a safe and secure environment. 

"Officers from the neighbourhood policing team wished to understand the intentions of those people to ensure that public safety was preserved. 

"This approach was well-intentioned by local officers completely without any direction from the local MP.

"Dorset Police would like to apologise if the attendance of a police officer to the home address of individuals going to the meeting caused alarm."

Mr Loder added in a statement that the public meeting was 'full and frank', with questions about local roads and the environment.

"One of the great sadnesses of being an MP is dealing with the threats and risks that we face," he said. 

"Those risks now mean that I have to let the police know where I am most of the time. It means that I need a panic alarm in my own home.

"In this case, it is unusual to receive the interest of two people who were not invited to attend a localised surgery.

"But I can confirm I have not requested the police to visit anyone."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, David Sidwick, also issued a statement,, saying the visit was carried out with 'good intentions'. 

He added: "They have apologised for any distress they may have caused and have said that they will keep under review their approach to dealing with such matters.

"I have asked for a review of this incident to ensure that such checks are carried out in a proportionate manner and are done so, in line with the principles of threat, risk and harm."

A South West Water spokesman explained it has been 'working hard' to reduce the impact of storm overflows and has 'reduced spills by 50 per cent on last year'. 

"However, we recognise there is more to do and we will further reduce our use of storm overflows and reduce our impact on rivers by one-third by 2025," he added.