A MASSIVE £39million will be spent on improving water quality for Burnham – but the project won’t be completed in time for new regulations which will be introduced next year.

South West MEP Julie Girling last week met Wessex Water and the Environment Agency to discuss serious concerns over the quality of the sea water.

There are fears that if Burnham beach fails new European water quality tests next year, warning signs may go up saying parts of Burnham beach are unfit for bathing.

The EU water safety guidelines mean that even though the water quality has not actually changed, a small section of sea off the main beach is in danger of falling foul of the new assessment criteria.

Burnham Mayor Martin Cox said: “This is amazing news. In fact it’s so good I can’t believe it. We have been worried about this water quality issue but this is a huge investment.”

Wessex Water has said that the Burnham area will receive a massive investment to improve the sewage system with new technology proposed to treat water in the Highbridge area. Work on this new system and equipment will start next spring but the investment will be over a long period and some of the effects will not be seen for a number of years.

Matt Wheeldon, waste water strategy manager at Wessex Water, said: “We have an ambitious plan to deliver these projects within a tight timescale which will help to improve bathing water quality at Burnham Jetty.

“As a company we have a longer term vision to remove rainwater from our sewers within this area but we recognise that this needs the co-operation of a wide range of people from local councils to businesses and individual householders.”

Ms Girling said: “The simple fact remains that because of the water industry’s investment cycle these steps are coming about a year too late, but this is what we have to work with and I’m happy they have speeded up as far as possible.”