Water quality

Southsea seafront has two designated bathing areas where the Environment Agency has water sampling points: Eastney and Southsea East.

Eastney

The Environment Agency rates the water here as ‘Good’. As such, there are no signs warning people not to swim along the majority of the seafront. The Environment Agency website has the latest water sampling data for Eastney.

Southsea East

The Environment Agency has classified the stretch of water between the Pyramids and South Parade Pier as ‘Poor’. They advise against swimming in this area. Warning signs are in place on this beach with information for visitors. The Environment Agency website has the latest water sampling data for Southsea East.

LED signs

Two new solar-powered LED signs have been placed along Eastney seafront to provide daily updates on nearby sewage releases and water quality. One sign is near Coffee Cup Eastney, and the other is close to Southsea Beach Café.

These signs display water quality alerts, helping you make informed decisions about swimming:

• green Alert – no recent sewage releases, water quality is safe
• red Alert – sewage released within the last 48 hours

The signs will be active from 6am to 8 pm during the summer.

Below is a map showing the water sampling points at Eastney and Southsea East, areas where bathing is not advised, and the locations of the new LED signs.

Southern Water gives out real-time updates on its storm overflow releases. You can find them on the Beachbuoy website.

Yellow Fish: Only rain down the drain

Portsmouth City Council is working with Southern Water and the Environment Agency to help protect our coastline and improve water quality.

You may see bright yellow fish appearing next to some roadside drains in the city, especially around the seafront. These are part of a national awareness campaign promoting a simple message: Only rain down the drain.

The yellow fish are there to help people understand that putting any kind of waste down public drains will directly contaminate our local environment.

Why this matters

Many people think all drains lead to a treatment works. In fact, most roadside (surface water) drains carry rainwater directly into the sea.

This means anything poured or washed into them – including paint, chemicals, oil, rubbish, dog mess, toilet chemicals and other wastewater – will flow straight into the Solent without being cleaned.

That pollution can harm wildlife and reduce the water quality of our bathing water.

What the yellow fish mean

The yellow fish symbols are placed next to drains as a reminder that what goes in them ends up in our natural environment.

They are designed to prompt people to stop and think before putting anything down a drain, helping water quality and people’s enjoyment of our beaches.

How you can help

Everyone has a role to play in protecting Portsmouth’s coastline. Simple changes can make a big difference:

• only let rainwater enter roadside drains
• dispose of paints, oils and chemicals properly; never pour them down drains
• put litter and cigarette ends in bins
• clean up after your dog
• use appropriate facilities for campervan and wastewater disposal

Working together to protect our coast

This campaign forms part of our wider, ongoing work with partners to improve bathing water quality in Portsmouth for residents, visitors and wildlife.