A SOUTH West Water investigation has unearthed the cause of raw sewage appearing in Porthleven harbour.

Porthleven Environment Group warned parents to "think twice" about letting their children and animals enter the water, after faeces and sanitary products were spotted floating around.

A spokesperson for South West Water said: “Working with the local community we have been investigating how sanitary products and other toilet waste is getting into the harbour at Porthleven.

“Yesterday we identified that several domestic properties have wrongly connected their foul sewage into the surface water drainage system, which discharges into the harbour.

"We will be working with the householders concerned to resolve this as soon as possible, alongside the Environment Agency.”

The statement added that water quality samples taken yesterday at the nearest designated bathing water (Porthleven Sands) indicated that bathing water quality was not affected.

South West Water’s Love Your Loo campaign, which encourages everyone to only flush the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo – down the loo, also launched in Porthleven in June.

Separately, the company is making emergency repairs to a damaged sewer on the B3304 near Porthleven (Methleigh Bottoms).