‘Diners poisoned’ by sewage leaking into oyster beds

Whitstable’s oyster festival ended yesterday with growers concerned that untreated sewage is still responsible for poisoning customers.

The north Kent town which has been renowned for its seafood since Roman times has seen business suffer because of a series of leaks.

Owners of other oyster beds along the coast have previously raised concerns about damage from pollution caused by untreated sewage.

Harvesting of Whitstable oysters was halted for a week at the end of June after customers reported norovirus food-poisoning symptoms. Investigations are continuing to establish if they were linked to untreated sewage.

Days later Southern Water was fined a record £90 million after admitting deliberately dumping billions of litres of raw sewage in coastal waters and rivers in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex between 2010 ....