South West Water has met with a number of local organisations and representatives in Mevagissey to discuss matters relating to flooding and water quality.

The meeting, requested by Mevagissey Harbour Trust, Mevagissey Parish Council and MP for St Austell and Newquay Steve Double, and chaired by local Cornwall Councillor James Mustoe, focused on South West Water’s plans to invest in the village’s waste water infrastructure, thereby reducing spills from the nearby Polstreath outflow.

The local representatives also sought and got the support of South West Water in principle for additional match funding towards the Mevagissey Harbour Trust bid to Cornwall Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund for resilience measures for the harbour.

Commenting, Mr Double said: “I was pleased to see South West Water recognise the concerns of local people in Mevagissey and show their commitment to the local area by confirming the steps they are taking to reduce spills from their Polstreath outflow. It was good to see data indicating that the spills from Polstreath have decreased year on year over the past three years, but there is still more to do. With this in mind, it is good to see that South West Water will be investing £150,000 in water infrastructure upgrades in Mevagissey over the coming months to cut down on spills further.

“It is only through the Government’s Environment Act that spills at places like Mevagissey are now being properly monitored, and I thank South West Water for making this data publicly accessible ahead of the deadline that the Government imposed for water companies via the Environment Act. I will continue to work with local people and South West Water to ensure that they take the actions required to continue to improve water quality for all users.”

Cllr Mustoe added: “As well as South West Water’s actions on their water infrastructure in Mevagissey, it was also good to talk to them about Mevagissey Harbour Trust’s excellent bid to Cornwall Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund to improve the resilience of the harbour. Protecting our harbour, which is the beating heart of Mevagissey, is of critical importance to us all, and we were all pleased to see South West Water understand that and commit to supporting this bid with match funding going forward. I look forward to working with all concerned as this bid progresses.”

Alan Burrows, director of external liaison at South West Water, added: “It was great to meet with key local stakeholders in Mevagissey and show the progress already made to reduce storm overflows at Polstreath. Reducing the use of storm overflows is a priority. We are investing record levels to dramatically reduce the use of storm overflows and protect the region’s excellent bathing water status.

“Our WaterFit programme is focused on reducing storm overflows spills to an average of 20 spills per year by 2025 and an average of 10 spills per year for storm overflows at bathing waters. In Mevagissey, we are investing up to £150,000 by March 2025 to reduce the risk of environmental impact from our sewerage network and improve bathing water quality.

“We have a plan, and it is working. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders to provide the best possible service to our customers and tourists to the region.”