Pollution of rivers and watercourses
Councils have no real powers to deal with pollution of watercourses. However, they work with the Environment Agency in a number of ways to prevent or control pollution. This is done by prompt reporting of incidents and by preventing pollution of water by dealing with any contamination of land.
If you suspect that sewage, or other pollutants, are being discharged into a watercourse or into the sea it is important that you report your concerns as soon as possible to the Environment Agency, Emergency Hotline on 0800 807 060, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They may be able to investigate the problem and minimise the impact on the environment.
More details can be found on the
Environment Agency website (opens in a new window) 
.
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Bathing water quality in West Dorset
Throughout the summer the Environment Agency tests the quality of seawater at beaches along the Jurassic Coast. Over the years there has been a steady improvement.
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Bathing water quality in Purbeck
In Purbeck 7 beaches are currently sampled for bathing water quality on a weekly basis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the summer months (June to September).
