Welsh surf club forced to close after sewage spill at popular beach

Amelia Jones 

A Welsh surf club has been forced to temporarily close following a sewage spill at a popular beach.

Welsh Coast Surf Club announced on their social media last week that all scheduled events would be cancelled after warnings about sewage discharge at Rest Bay beach in Porthcawl.

The campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, which monitors the dumping of untreated waste water around Britain, sent a warning out via their ‘Watchlist’ app because of sewage discharged at Rest Bay, Trecco Bay and Sandy Bay.

The warning read: “There has been a sewage discharge at Rest Bay (Porthcawl) which started on 27 February 2026 at 20:15. Welsh Water is responsible for this discharge.”

Another warning on the app added that the sewage had been “discharged from a sewer overflow.”

The Welsh Coast Surf Club, founded in 1969, is one of the oldest surf clubs in the UK. It provides year-round surf lessons, equipment hire, and runs local competitions and surf events.

Sharing the news on their Instagram page, they said: “Unfortunately we have made the decision to cancel today’s club open based on the risk of exposure to bad water quality.

“The Surfers Against Sewage safer seas app has notified that Rest Bay has been discharging since last night.

“We will look to run another weekend as soon as feasible. Apologies to all members who were looking forward to getting in the water this morning in the comp.”

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Speaking on behalf of the club, international surfing judge Tim Aylett said: “We are disappointed with not being able to run our event.”

This weekend’s closure comes after several reports last month of sewage discharge on a popular path in Rest Bay.

A report by Wales Online showed photos of a sewage spill on a path usually popular with families and dog walkers. The article also noted that the spill had seeped into nearby playing fields used by local football and rugby clubs.

In response, a spokesperson for Welsh Water told the publication: “We were made aware of a spilling manhole near Rest Bay playing fields on Sunday. The spill did not enter any watercourse and crews attended to clear a blockage on the sewer to get it flowing again.

“A crew has also attended to carry out a clean-up of the affected area and a team will return in the next few days to carry out a small repair identified during this incident.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Commenting on the recent incidents, local resident Wendy Maine said: “It’s really upsetting to see sewage polluting our beach and playing fields. Places like this are meant to be safe for families and visitors.

“We all come to Rest Bay to enjoy the sea and fresh air, and incidents like this are frustrating for the community.”

Improving water quality

When asked for a response, a spokesperson from Welsh Water said: “Storm overflows are essential to ensure networks do not become overwhelmed during heavy rain and flood properties.

“During heavy rain on the evening of Friday, February 27, some storm overflows in the Porthcawl area spilled for a short time. They have not spilled since.

“We provide the data used by the Surfers Against Sewage app, which keeps alerts in place for 48 hours. Up-to-date information on when an asset has spilled is available on our storm overflow map.

“During periods of heavy rainfall there are numerous factors that can impact bathing water quality, and it is important to remember that rivers and seas are not sterile environments.

“Rest Bay, as well as Sandy Bay and Trecco Bay in Porthcawl, are consistently classified as ‘Excellent’ during the bathing water season.

“We understand the increased concern about water quality, and we’re determined to play our part to improve it. Over the next five years we’ll invest £2.5bn on projects to improve the environment, including £889m on improving storm overflows and a further £42m on eight schemes to target improving bathing and shellfish waters.”