SOUTH West Water has denied claims that a river in Launceston has seen more than 75 hours of sewage discharge during July.

According to storm overflow monitors, the River Kensey in Launceston has seen multiple instances of sewage discharge during July. According to Surfers Against Sewage an outlet situated near Newport Industrial Estate has discharged sewage four times during July.

For more than 30 years, Surfers Against Sewage has been working to protect the ocean in a variety of ways, one of which sees the organisation monitor and notify residents of sewage discharge events carried out by the region’s water supplier, South West Water.

During July, the organisation notified residents that the River Kensey was one of the locations subject to sewage pollution, with one incident seeing sewage dumped for more than seven hours.

However, outside of active sewage discharge, the site has allegedly seen pollution as a result of maintenance, with a stint on July 24 lasting over 64 hours.

The discharge has unsurprisingly caused concern among locals, many questioning the impact on the local environment and the safety of the area.

However, South West Water has denied that any sewage has been discharged into the river, instead stating that the notifications are a mistake.

The organisation says that due to the sensitivity of their monitors, ‘sometimes small things, like leaves, twigs or even spider webs, bubbles and foam can trigger them, indicating that the overflow is in use when it isn’t.’

The water supplier says that its map ‘does not distinguish these ‘false’ readings’.

Speaking to us, a spokesperson from South West Water explained: "The notifications displayed on WaterFit Live were linked to maintenance and monitoring system activations and do not indicate that a sewage discharge occurred."