WESSEX Water has spoken with campaigners about water quality at Boscombe.

Representatives of Sorted Surf Shop met directors of the company, who said it had been “incorrectly linked” to red flags on the beach.

Maya Carswell, Surf Shop manager, said: “It was actually a really productive chat. We went through the actual sewer system in and around Boscombe and they explained to us how everything works including some new information we didn’t know before.

“I would say that this has improved our communication and we’re open to working with them more to stop this sort of thing from happening. There were no promises about what would be done to prevent things from happening, but at least a dialogue has been started.”

She also said that the Surf Shop and Wessex Water would attempt to plan a meeting in the future with representatives from the Environment Agency, BCP Council and the RNLI to see why local beaches are being red flagged so often and how it can be prevented.

Matt Wheeldon, who spoke to campaigners alongside fellow Wessex Water director Ruth Barden, said: “It was a helpful meeting to explain the facts around why storm overflows, which protect properties from flooding, are used on occasions; the complexities around getting rid of them; and the wider factors that affect bathing water quality.

“Most significantly, it is clear that there’s misinformation around where the overflows are and why red flags are being displayed on the beach, which is disastrous for the local economy. Wessex Water has at times been incorrectly linked to this.

“Red flags have been displayed on the beach today and yesterday when the sewer overflow hasn’t been operating. In fact, it discharged during heavy rain on Saturday at 2.40am for 12 minutes over half a kilometre out to sea and would have had no water quality impact whatsoever.”

Earlier, Surf Shop social media posts suggested sewage spills caused Boscombe beach to be red flagged and resulted in the shop cancelling its lessons and hiring.

However, a Wessex Water spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, the social media post by the surf shop is incorrect and the beach closure had absolutely nothing to do with Wessex Water. Our storm overflows in the area have not been in use.”