PHOTOGRAPHS taken by a dog walker yesterday showed a large amount of pollution on the beach in Minehead. 

The images showed a thick substance covering an area of sand and discolouring the water.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the pollution is likely "the result of natural material breaking down, possibly seaweed, which is then being washed onto the beach". 

Samples will be tested by the Environment Agency. 

The photographs were taken by Nigel Hester at around 12pm yesterday (Tuesday, October 26), and he shared them on Twitter in the afternoon. 

Nigel tweeted, saying: "This was Minehead beach just 30 mins ago.

"I have never before seen such pollution on the local beach!"  

Speaking to the County Gazette, Nigel said an area of the beach, which he says is centred around an outfall pipe, has been covered with a "really sludgy" substance. 

He said: "I was quite horrified, really.

"I took my dog down to the beach, and my dog loves to swim in the sea, but I didn’t want her to go near it.

"I walk on Minehead beach regularly and, normally, the sea is really clean there."

Nigel’s tweet has been retweeted more than 3,000 times and has over 450 replies.

One Twitter user replied: "Dear heaven. This is appalling."

Another said: "That’s disgusting, I feel sick just looking at that."

Someone else said: "It's heartbreaking and disgusting." 

Somerset County Gazette: "SLUDGY": A dog walker came across the beach pollution (Image: Nigel Hester)"SLUDGY": A dog walker came across the beach pollution (Image: Nigel Hester)

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We were alerted to potential pollution on Minehead beach on 27 October.

"Wessex Water attended the site and confirmed that their assets are working correctly.

"It is believed the pollution is the result of natural material breaking down, possibly seaweed, which is then being washed onto the beach.

"Samples will be tested." 

Last night, the Government U-turned and decided to put legal controls on water firms discharging raw sewage into rivers and the sea. 

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced the Environmental Bill "will be further strengthened with an amendment that will see a duty enshrined in law to ensure water companies secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows". 

Last week, MPs voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill, proposed by the House of Lords, that would have placed legal duties on companies to reduce raw sewage discharges into rivers. 

The proposal was defeated by 265 votes to 202 on Wednesday, October 20, despite 22 Conservative MPs rebelling and voting against the Government. 

Tory MPs have since defended their votes against the proposal, saying the work to dig up the country's Victorian sewerage system would cost between £150 billion and £650 billion. 

The MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, Ian Liddell-Grainger, did not record a vote. 

He also voted against legislation to set a target for curbing particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in the air. 

Read more: Environment Bill row: How Somerset MPs voted

Liddell-Grainger released a statement about the issue of pollution in Britain’s waterways on Monday.

He has attributed the problem in part to "a Government-driven housebuilding programme which has placed more strain on older sewage treatment plants". 

Liddell-Grainger said that water companies, local authorities, the Environment Agency, and the Government should not "be trying to blame agriculture for the current, appalling situation".

His statement said he had welcomed measures, such as those in the Environment Bill, to remedy the situation.

Somerset County Gazette: MP: Ian Liddell-Grainger says the "situation is not one that has been created overnight" (Image: UK Parliament)MP: Ian Liddell-Grainger says the "situation is not one that has been created overnight" (Image: UK Parliament)

The MP has also said that the Government, water companies and the Environment Agency should have reacted sooner.

In his statement, Liddell-Grainger said: "This is a classic case of bolting the stable door when the horse is already two miles down the road.

 "The current situation is the result of the Government-driven housebuilding programme which has placed more strain on older sewage treatment plants; the failure of the water companies to invest to take account of that; and the failure of the Environment Agency to hoist the warning flag earlier when it was obvious that problems were developing.

"This situation is not one that has been created overnight: It has been creeping up us for years, but no-one has chosen to confront it.

"And it is certainly not acceptable to make farmers carry the can."