HAMPSHIRE and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has spoken out on the recent incident that resulted in the death of more than a hundred fish at Milford on Sea.

New Forest District Council urged visitors and residents not to bathe at Milford on Sea on August 16.

Eels and trout are among the many dead fish strewn across the beach.

The cause of the incident was a malfunction from Southern Water that was an electrical fault that impacted its pumping station near Peter’s Lane in the New Forest.

A spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said: “Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is steadfast in its opposition to the discharge of sewage into our precious rivers and seas.

“Such practices have far-reaching, detrimental consequences for the environment and wildlife that depend on these delicate ecosystems, as well as posing a risk to human health and wellbeing.

“The risk to human health that these discharges bring also has a direct impact on the Trust’s marine conservation activities, which include restoration of seagrass meadows.

"Sewage releases add to the Solent's problem of nutrient enrichments and overloads. This drives algal blooms and affects many species in our coastal waters. Poor water quality in the Solent poses the single most significant threat to our efforts to restore seagrass meadows.

"The Trust is committed to rectifying this issue and in addition to hands-on conservation activities, is working with water companies to encourage responsible wastewater management practices.

“The charity’s dedicated policy team actively engages with politicians, Members of Parliament, and local councillors to elevate the importance of addressing sewage discharge and its far-reaching repercussions.

“The Trust will persist in pressing water companies to halt the discharge of sewage into our rivers and seas until tangible measures are undertaken.”

Speaking previously, a spokesperson for Southern Water said: "We're extremely sorry for this incident which occurred due to an electrical fault that impacted our pumping station near Peter's Lane in the New Forest.

“Our teams are continuing to work around the clock to minimise the environmental impact and restore water quality.

"We're sorry to confirm that regrettably, this has led to a number of dead fish at the watercourse.”