South West Water has responded to Saturday's protest about increased sewage spills at a Falmouth beach saying it is undertaking work to dramatically reduce overflows.

The company at the centre of anti-pollution protests at Gyllyngvase Beach on Saturday morning says the work will be completed in two weeks and will dramatically reduce spills.

South West Water says it will be investing in the storm overflow in the Gyllyngvase area as part of its WaterFit programme to reduce spills.

They say they are making some planned enhancements to the site which will be completed within two weeks and should make some immediate reductions in the number of spills.

A South West Water spokesperson said: “South West Water’s largest environmental investment programme in 15 years, WaterFit, is now well underway, focused on delivering benefits for customers, communities and the environment.

“Through WaterFit we will dramatically reduce our use of storm overflows, reduce and then remove our impact on river water quality by 2030 and maintain our excellent bathing water standards all year round.”

Up to 300 people gathered on Gyllyngvase Beach on Saturday in a protest organised by Jo Curd, owner of Longe Cote UK, a water based exercise class that operates from the beach.

Earlier this month she told the Packet how constant waste spills into the sea off Falmouth were destroying her business on the blue-flagged beach.

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She organised the protest after a large number of spills on the beach including in September when there were 11 in just eight days South West Water says water quality at Gyllyngvase Beach and Swanpool was rated as ‘Excellent’ in the latest classifications by the Environment Agency.

She told the Packet: "This reads like good news but it’s in the results, when the evidence is sewage spills have significantly reduced at Gylly."

South West Water says it is investing £330 million over the next three years into its region’s wastewater network.