Following hours of heavy rain, 10 of Kent's beaches have been hit with sewage warnings today (August 29). A yellow warning for torrential downpours had been in place across the county overnight and this morning.

As a result of the wet weather, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) have taken place near a number of popular bathing sites on the Kent coast. These releases are carried out during spells of heavy rain in order to disperse excess surface water and reduce the risk of flooding.

Comprising both rain water and sewage water, these releases can have a considerable impact on the quality of water at bathing sites where they occur. It has been previously stated that CSOs are 95 per cent rain water, though the releases continue to be a large point of contention in the county.

A total of

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