Storm overflow water with a "diluted" amount of sewage wastewater has been discharged along the County Durham coastline this week, it has been confirmed.

Heavy rain has led to "storm overflows" being used by Northumbrian Water to prevent sewer flooding this week (September 23) which has been confirmed to contain a "heavily diluted" amount of sewage water.

This comes after the Safer Seas and Rivers app by Surfers Against Sewage said discharges of 'sewage' were taking place on Seaham Hall Beach, Seaham Beach and Marsden Beach.

A red banner warned users with a "sewage pollution alert" and stated that Northumbrian Water is responsible for the discharge.

When approached for comment, a spokesperson for the app organisation said that "any amount" of sewage along the coast poses a health risk to water users.

They added that: "These ‘discharges’ are as a result of decades of putting profit over investment in the management of waste water."

A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water has since gone on to explain that the discharges are "largely storm water" and affirmed future plans to stop overflow spills.

A spokesperson said: "At times of heavy rainfall, storm overflows are used as a relief valve on our network, to protect customers’ homes from sewer flooding.

"This happens with consent from the Environment Agency and the outfalls discharge a heavily diluted mixture that is largely storm water that has mixed with wastewater from our network.

"We have some of the lowest amounts and durations of spills in the country. As well as this, we have the best environmental record of any water company in England, with no serious pollution incidents throughout the whole of 2023, or any since 2021."

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They added: "Over the past two decades we have made huge investments to improve bathing waters across the North East. In the Sunderland area alone this amounts to many tens of millions of pounds including around a £10 million investment which has seen an upgrade to the sewer network and improvements to the Whitburn and Roker area.

"The result of our programme of investment means 32 of our 34 bathing waters in the North East are rated as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ in the latest Defra classifications.

"Between 2020 and 2025 we will have invested over £80m on upgrading our wastewater network and we have ambitious plans to invest a further £1.7 billion from 2025 to 2030 to stop storm overflow spills and help improve our local environment."