Mothecombe
WaterFit Live
Mothecombe
Mothecombe Beach is an unspoilt, sandy beach that joins up with Wonwell Beach, on the Erme estuary, at low tide.
Privately owned by the Flete estate, Meadowsfoot is open to the public on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
There is a large grass car park with toilets and a tea shop. The beach is accessed via a narrow, wooded path.
Overflow locations
The map below shows the locations of the storm overflows that have the potential to impact water quality at this bathing water.
The map shows whether or not a storm overflow is currently active, the time and duration of the last spill at that location, and our investment commitments that are specific to that overflow.
Mothecombe storm overflow map
Water quality sample results
The graphs below show the significant reduction in harmful bacteria in the Environment Agency’s (EA) water samples since the 1990s. E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci exist in all open water - they are found in human and animal poo, and get into the water via sewage spills, road drainage, agricultural livestock, or wildlife and birds. The EA uses the levels of these bacteria to decide whether to award this beach bathing water status.
Investment programme up to 2025
Overall we have spent around £2,100,000 including Modbury sewer replacement which will reduce infiltration to the networks. We have been working closely with Holbeton Parish Council and a local housing developer to reduce surface water which will continue into the next investment period. We are completing infiltration reduction in Ivybridge, lining over 500m of sewer which began in September 2024 and is due for completion by March 2025.
Early start planning has already begun on final effluent Ultra-Violet disinfection installation schemes at Modbury and Ermington.
The 2025-2030 investment programme is currently being scoped out. If you’re a community group or part of a local network and would like to have your say see ‘Your Beach, Your Say, Our Investment’.
5 year overflow spill information
The data shown in the table below is the reported annual total spill number for each overflow which has been identified by the EA for this bathing water.
The assignment of an overflow to the bathing water does not always mean an impact will occur, it can be dependent on a number of factors such as tidal state and weather conditions. Sometimes it has been allocated just for investigation purposes and has no impact at all.
All data collected goes through vigorous quality assurance processes before being included in the counts. Sometimes debris can trigger false spills to be recorded, resulting in potentially higher than actual spill numbers.
Number of spills
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erme Road storm overflow, Ivybridge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ermington sewage treatment works storm overflow | 5 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 |
| Holbeton sewage treatment works storm overflow | 76 | 73 | 37 | 44 | 63 |
| Holbeton sewage treatment works settled storm overflow | 27 | 85 | 59 | 80 | 112 |
| Ivybridge sewage treatment works settled storm overflow Tank 1 | 56 | 111 | 65 | 40 | 103 |
| Ivybridge sewage treatment works settled storm overflow Tank 2 | 705 | 0 | 40 | 56 | 61 |
| Modbury sewage treatment works settled storm overflow | 86 | 87 | 51 | 67 | 81 |
| Playing Field storm overflow, Ermington | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Poundwell Meadow storm overflow, Modbury | 38 | 54 | 0 | 28 | 61 |
| Station Road storm overflow, Ivybridge | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Town Hill storm overflow, Ermington | 49 | 50 | 0 | 23 | 8 |
The beach profiles were created in line with information provided by our partners, Environment Agency, RNLI, Keep Britain Tidy, MCS - Beach Guide and British Beaches.