The latest Good Beach Guide has just been released and a record number of beaches have been given the top award for water quality.

In 2011 461 beaches out of a total of 754 beaches were given excellent status; however this year 516 achieved the accolade.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has applauded the attempts of local authorities to clean up their act, but also warned that recent heavy rainfall could wash raw sewage from overflow pipes into bathing areas.

The results are taken from tests last summer which now show that 68% of beaches in the UK have been given the excellent award. More stringent European water quality rules come into force in 2015, so improvements in standards must still be made by local water authorities.

Rachel Wyatt, a costal pollution officer, was quoted as saying on the BBC that the water cpmpanies should not:

“take their collective feet off the pedal of continued environmental improvements”

“If that happens we could see a drop in the number of beaches recommended by us in the future, which could pose a risk to the great reputation British beaches have,”

The MCS are also calling for all sewer overflows to be monitored to ascertain accurate records as to find out how often and how much sewage is discharged.

Thames Water have carried out a comprehensive CCTV survey of a road in south east London after a huge crater appeared in the road surface.

The crater appeared a couple of weeks ago in Stoney Street in Southwark, resulting in a section of the road being cordoned off while investigation works took place.

The sudden appearance of the hole was initially put down to a problem with the sewer running directly beneath the road surface, but after Thames Water investigated they found that their sewer was actually intact. Investigators have now claimed that pest damage and subsidence were the most likely reason.

The hole was filled with cement and concrete so that the surface could then be tarmaced.

A council spokesperson commented after the concrete was laid:

“This will need time to cure,”

“We will be tarmacing the road at 8am tomorrow [Friday] morning, followed by reinstallation of the road markings, and the road should be open by 11am.

“We have signs out advising the public that the concrete is curing.”

Most sudden appearances in roads are put down to sewer collapse, and when this happens it can be problematic for residents and road users. However, due to advances in drainage construction and repair, most damaged drains and sewers can now be repaired without the need for excavation.

Residents in Tilehurst are celebrating after Thames Water announced that they are going to spend over £1m on a sewer enlargement scheme.

The sewer scheme, which will see sewers in City Road, Hildens drive and Foxcombe drive all be replaced with larger diameter pipes, will stop sewage backing up in people’s homes and gardens after heavy rainfall.

The scheme has got the backing of local councillor for reading west Alok Sharma. Mr Sharma spoke to local residents about the problems at a drop-in session which took part in early April, he commented:

“Talking to local residents, I know that they recognise the importance of this work to improve the sewer network in Tilehurst. I am pleased that Thames Water is committed to making the sewer network fit for the future.”

The work commenced on the project in January and some diversions have already been put in place. The programme delivery manager from Thames Water Andy Popple said:

“We are hell-bent as a company on putting an end to the misery of sewer flooding. It is utterly vile and has no place in the 21st century.

“Work is progressing well on this project and we have already positive feedback from people whose properties flank the newly-laid sewer.

“We apologise for the continuing disruption and we ask customers to bear with us while we complete this essential work.”

A Thames Water sewage pumping station has leaked sewage into a dry river bed in Whittonditch. The sewage leaked from the tank early last week and affected a field next to the river Aldbourne near Ramsbury.

It isn’t the first time that sewage has leaked from the same pumping station, a similar incident happened four years ago, which resulted in Thames Water being handed a hefty fine by the Environment Agency.

The owner of the land onto which the sewage escaped, Sir Martyn Arbib, and his river keeper Edward Starr discovered the damage caused by the leak and immediately informed both the Environment Agency and Thames Water. The field into which the sewage seeped is home to a small herd of Belted Galloway cattle.

River keeper Mr Starr was quoted in thisiswiltshire.co.uk as saying that: “I suspect the heavy rain we had on Saturday morning overloaded the pumps and blew the fuses.

“Without the pumps the pressure of the sewage built up until it erupted from a manhole in the field.

“There has not been any water in the Aldbourne for months and what you can now see is the sewage that formed a lagoon here on Sunday.”

The pumps were repaired by Thames Water but no fencing was placed around the slurry to prevent the cattle from coming into contact with it.

A Thames Water spokesperson said:

“Any pollution incident is deeply regrettable and we are working hard to try and minimise the impact of the sewage spill at Whittonditch.

“This was caused by a failure at a pumping station over the weekend, which has now been resolved.

“We are working with the Environment Agency to make sure the area is back to normal as soon as possible.”

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has announced that a full consultation of the Thames Supersewer project must take place. Mr Johnson is “concerned over the rising cost” of putting current plans into place and says that major disruption to Londoners who live along the route should not be tolerated.

Despite years of work on the project, Mr Johnson’s latest comments may end up putting pressure on Thames Water and the Government to rethink there plans. That could mean them returning to the drawing board and spending even more money on a project already estimated to cost around £4.1bn.

Mr Johnson has been accused by Labour’s Ken Livingstone of a “clear electioneering ploy” ahead of the City Hall election. Mr Livingston insinuates that Mr Johnson wants to garner favour of those members of the constituency who live along the proposed tunnel route.

Mr Johnston spoke to the Evening Standard, he commented:

“It is vital that we clean up the Thames and I am committed to support measures that achieve this. But I am increasingly concerned over the rising cost that it will impose on Londoners, already hard hit by the current economic climate, and also the severe disruption for many people in some parts of London. We need greater clarity on whether this is indeed the best scheme that could be devised.”

In response Mr Livingstone’s spokesperson commented:

“Despite personally signing off the proposed London Supersewer sites earlier this month, Tory Boris Johnson has now cynically demanded a review of sites. This is a clear electioneering ploy by the Tory Mayor.”