East Anglia's beaches remain among the cleanest in the country for swimming - despite the latest stink over sewage pollution in our coastal waters.
The Environment Agency warned beachgoers to stay out of the sea at dozens of locations around the country after last week's heavy rains caused sewage to be discharged into the sea.
Water firms are allowed to discharge sewers into the sea to stop them overflowing into people's homes during heavy rainfall.
While the alert focussed mainly on the south-west of England, the government's water quality map also included the beach at Heacham where there have been issues with pollution in recent years.
The EA later said the west Norfolk beach was on the map due to ongoing bathing water quality issues, not discharges caused by the downpours.
A spokesman said anyone looking for information on an individual beach should refer to Defra's Swimfo website, which publishes updates on bathing water quality.
Swimfo currently rates 12 Norfolk beaches including those around Great Yarmouth and Cromer as 'excellent'.
Those at Old Hunstanton and Wells are rated 'good', while Hunstanton is rated 'sufficient'.
The remainder of the Norfolk coastline was rated as safe to swim despite the downpours.
That will doubtless bring relief to the tourism trade with the August Bank Holiday weekend, which is usually one of the busiest of the year approaching.
Great Yarmouth council leader Carl Smith said: “We want families to come and enjoy our beaches this Bank Holiday weekend and right through the year.
"Bathing water around the borough has been consistently rated as excellent by the Environment Agency for several years, including the most recent annual results in 2021.
“As well as water quality it is important that people think about water safety, and if you are thinking about swimming in the sea always check for local safety information so you can be sure of having a safe, fun time at the beach.”
North Norfolk Council has been awarded coveted Blue Flags for its beaches for Sheringham, Cromer, Mundesley, Sea Palling, East Runton and West Runton, along with a seaside award for Wells.
A council spokesman said: “We are in daily contact with the Environment Agency regarding the situation around water quality at all of our beaches.
"Currently there are no warnings against swimming or bathing at any of our North Norfolk beaches.”
Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage was formed in 1990 by surfers in the West Country who were sick of becoming ill after enjoying their sport in polluted waters.
EU bathing water directives came soon after, which the group says gave it "a perfect legislative backdrop" to drive forward its call for cleaner oceans.
Since then, wind and kite surfing has boomed along the Norfolk coast.
Ben Kewell, who has run the Cromer-based Glide Surf School for 15 years, said any problems would quickly be passed along the sport's busy grapevine.
"I haven't heard of any problems in Norfolk," he said. "If there were, if people were becoming ill, we'd have heard about it because we're in the water most days."
On Monday, the waters were muddied by claims sewage stats could not be trusted because monitoring equipment attached to outfalls was either faulty or had not been installed.
But while Anglian Water admitted almost half of its 1,500 storm outflows were not being monitored, the firm said the 48 which covered discharges onto bathing beaches were all fitted and working.
A spokesman added: "All but three of the places designated for bathing in our region are rated as good or excellent for bathing water quality, and all have monitors installed on them."
In other areas of the country up to 18pc of monitors were listed as either faulty or not installed.
Warning still in force at Heacham
The Environment Agency's Swimfo bathing water quality map was still warning people not to swim at Heacham on Monday.
Retired bank worker Richard Price, who has a holiday home nearby, wasn't taking any chances.
"It's not the cleanest beach in the world," said Mr Price, 68, as the falling tide revealed wide expanses of mud.
Mr Price, who regularly visits the beach, said he was not allowing his eight-year-old grand-daughter Maya to paddle in the sea.
"She's fretting about it because she's a young marine biologist," he said. "She cares about the environment, she picks up rubbish and toys people leave behind."
Retired Rolls Royce worker Colin Swanborough echoed the thoughts of many when it came to where the blame lay.
"All the people at the top are earning their top salaries and their top bonuses but they're not doing their job." he said.
Signs at the approach to the beach also warn people not to gather cockles.
West Norfolk council imposed the ban on August 9 - before the latest concerns over sewage pollution - after high levels of e-coli were found in the shellfish.
But the Liberal Democrats are claiming shellfish are the “forgotten victims” of sewage being dumped into the sea and rivers around the UK.
They said waters containing shellfish were dumped in nearly 29,000 times last year.
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