Holiday business says sea swimming ban at Dymchurch Beach will hit the tourist industry hard
Visitors are currently advised not to enter the sea at Dymchurch Beach after the water quality was downgraded from 'sufficient' to 'poor' due to increased levels of bacteria
A guest house business from Kent has told us they are worried they could lose some of their income this summer due to a no swim warning at their local beach.
Visitors are currently advised not to enter the sea at Dymchurch Beach after the water quality was downgraded from 'sufficient' to 'poor' due to increased levels of bacteria.
Carl Emanulson, from Beach Sun Retreat, believes times could get tough, he said: "Customers may start asking for discounts and it will hit the tourist industry hard.
"And really the water companies should be paying compensation to the businesses owners and everyone who resides there because it's a public amenity, we should be able to swim in the sea.
"Our property is right on the beach, with sea views and everything so when people book they expect to be able to swim in the sea so not being able to kind of dampens the whole enjoyment of Dymchurch."
A Southern Water spokesperson said: "We are working hard with local councils, the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to understand what has been causing declines in water quality at Dymchurch.
"We know none of our storm overflows affect the area and high samples correlate strongly with sea temperature, bird numbers and high beach use.
"We are conducting extensive investigations to find illegally connected pipes into the surface water network instead of our sewers. Only by working together can the issues be identified and corrected.”