A POOLE shellfish company has recalled its oysters after potentially becoming contaminated with norovirus.

The director of Dorset Oysters said they’ve not had any complaints from their products but claimed the food wouldn’t be contaminated if Wessex Water weren’t “pumping sewage” into the sea.

Pete Miles said: “We sell 20-50,000 oysters a week and we have yet to have complaints from any of our customers.

“It seems that our oysters were on the same menu with some Cornish oysters that have caused food poisoning.

“It’s fairly brutal to recall our oysters but it’s precautionary. We have to do what the Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) tells us.

“We operate on test results all the time. We are confident without a doubt, but it is a live animal. It would be ideal if Wessex Water didn’t pump sewage into the sea."

Bournemouth Echo: Pete Miles, owner of Dorset Oysters

Mr Miles said customers had been really kind, despite not receiving complaints, but said it was about time companies stopped pumping sewage into the sea.

“We have to make a stand, otherwise the shellfish business will go out of business,” he continued.

“There’s not much more we could possibly do, it’s down to Wessex Water, that is the only the oysters can get contaminated.

“We are hoping the FSA will tell us more. We are still open, this is only a short kick.”

A Wessex Water spokesman said it doesn’t pump sewage into the sea, but storm overflows occur during heavy rainfall.

They said: “Cases of norovirus have been exceptionally high in the community following the easing of Covid restrictions.

“While we don’t monitor for norovirus as this is not a requirement of the Shellfish Waters Directive, we do take regular samples from the continuous discharges from water recycling centres, which release treated wastewater, and we sample storm overflows in the Poole Harbour area when they operate and release dilute wastewater following rainfall events to protect properties from flooding.

"No concerns have been raised to us by the public health teams the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science, all of whom receive the data from the samples we provide.”

Wessex Water said to reduce recall notices due to declining water quality, it is working on a project with all parties to extend a notification system, by working with an artificial intelligence provider, to develop a prediction system to notify when water quality may deteriorate.

The spokesman added: “There are many sources of microbiological contamination which can impact water quality, including urban runoff, agricultural runoff and private sewage treatment systems such as septic tanks.

"Storm overflows operate during heavy rain, within the permit agreed with the Environment Agency, to protect properties from flooding.”