To protect our environment it is vital that the wastewater we flush down toilets or wash down our sinks and baths is treated to the highest standards.

At the moment wastewater from the area travels through local sewers, dating from Victorian times, to Portobello Wastewater Treatment Works at Telscombe Cliffs. There, it receives basic treatment passing through grid-like screens to remove debris before being pumped out to sea through a 1.8km long sea outfall pipe.

This film clip shows you the work Southern Water has already carried out in Brighton and Hove to ensure cleaner seas.

While the work we have already undertaken has made the sea much cleaner, Brighton and Hove is now the only area in the UK -and among the last in Europe - unable to meet additional European Union standards on wastewater treatment. When we have finished this work in East Sussex it will bring even cleaner seas to the area in line with UK and European legislation.

We have been carrying out multi-million pound schemes all over the South East to ensure that the cleanest possible water is recycled back to the environment and cater for our growing population.