THE developer responsible for allowing a flow of muddy water to pour into a pristine sea at Swanpool has apologised for what happened saying it was an accident.

A spokesperson from Linden Homes said that a bung had been accidentally removed at the site of their development The View up the road which allowed the muddy water to flow onto the beach on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Linden Homes said: “A bung was accidentally moved out of place for a short time during maintenance work by one of our contractors on Wednesday which allowed some muddy building sediment to wash into the surface water pipe.

"This was quickly dealt with by our contractors, who swiftly replaced the bung to prevent further egress. We apologise that this accident took place and can reassure the local community that while the sediment may look unattractive, it is not harmful to the environment. We will ensure the debris is removed quickly and the beach is cleaned where necessary, while working closely with the Environment Agency to investigate the original incident to ensure it does not happen again.”

However, this is not the first time that waste water has polluted Swanpool Beach.

In November 2019 it was claimed that contaminated water flowing into the sea at Swanpool was caused by work at The View which, at the time, Linden Homes denied.

Murky water emanating from the pipe on the southern end of the beach was instead said to have been polluted by agricultural and road run-off.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said they had not managed to pinpoint a source of the contamination but pointed out: "It’s probably a combination of agricultural and road run-off."

A spokesperson for Linden Homes said that its under-construction housing development The View has not yet been connected to the drainage network.

Read Next:

Swanpool housing development polluting sea claim addressed by Linden Homes

Pictures sent to the Packet by Helen Brown showed brown muddy water pouring onto the beach.

A statement from Swanpool Beach posted on Facebook yesterday said: 

"Today has been spent playing detective trying to get to the bottom of the dreadful pollution seen at Swanpool yesterday afternoon and this morning.

"Many of you may have seen that Linden Homes have now accepted liability and released a statement.

What we have found out is that the horrible, brown discharge released into the sea yesterday came from a pipe with two year’s worth of mud , building waste and water which had been backed up.

"Yesterday, the bung, which was preventing this waste from flowing out was mistakenly removed by Linden Homes and some of the waste fell out and went into the sea.

"This should never have happened, the pipes should have been thoroughly cleaned and drained from the top beforehand.

"The pipe has since been sealed back up and we have received confirmation from Linden Homes that it will be thoroughly cleaned and inspected by South West Water before the bung is removed again."

South West Water said that the matter was being investigated saying: "It has been connected to a building site nearby and they have been discharging into their surface water drains.

"The surface water lines would have been built by the developer and South West Water are not responsible for these lines as they are not our assets. This is still being investigated and we have an inspector onsite investigating."

Cornwall Council has said that the matter is not its responsibility.