Advanced technique used to test Bognor's sea water cleanliness

The advanced procedure has only been available for three months.

But it is being pressed into service by the Environment Agency to determine the cause of the pollution which cost Bognor its coveted Blue Flag water quality award for this year.

Dave Lowthion, the agency's marine team leader, said the DNA analysis could pinpoint the difference between human faecal bacteria and faecal bacteria from animals. Droppings from seagulls washed into the sea from road drains at times of heavy rainfall can badly affect the quality of the sea.

But there is also the risk of sewage connections wrongly made between properties and surface water sewers to go out to sea instead of the separate, foul sewers for treatment. Property owners can then be ordered to sort out the mistakes.

A CCTV survey of foul water drains around the town, a network probably 15-20kms long, is also expected to be carried out to determine how much human sewage is getting into the wrong pipes.

The analyses are two of the tools likely to be used to make sure Bognor's sea water meets new strict cleanliness standards.

The EA and Southern Water are getting together to talk about the action needed to ensure Bognor's sea meets exacting cleanliness levels.

Approval for the survey, and any other work deemed to be necessary, has to be given by the water industry regulator Ofwat.

It is expected that work would take place soon after the next five-year investment period for Southern Water begins in 2010.

The government had highlighted the work as a must to stop Bognor being labelled as having some of the dirtiest sea water in the UK when new European standards take affect.

Mr Lowthion said: "I am fairly sure that, because it's a government priority, when a programme has been identified and approved, the water company will be expected to deliver it at the start of the investment period rather than at the end."

Southern Water's head of environmental strategy, John Spence, said Ofwat's backing was needed for the investment to go ahead. It was too early to put a cost to the scheme.

They were among three representatives of Southern Water and the Environment Agency quizzed at this week's meeting of Bognor Regis Town Council's environment and leisure committee.

Members wanted the talks to find out the facts about Bognor's sea water.

The town's testing point east of the pier, between Clarence Road and the foreshore station, failed to meet the Blue Flag standards for this year.

But Mr Lowthion told councillors he was confident the failure was a blip caused by an extremely wet summer. Other resorts '“ such as Worthing and Ramsgate '“ had also suffered the same situation.

This saw the storms constantly wash pollution, like oil and anti-freeze as well as droppings, from the roads and pavements into the sea.

He was confident that Bognor's sea water would bounce back to Blue Flag quality this year.

But action needed to be taken to improve the sea's cleanliness around the Bognor testing point about 100m east of West Park.

This was the area which would badly fail tougher European criteria being gradually brought in between this year and 2015 to make it harder to achieve the Blue Flag.

It would be the focus of the investment plans. Once this section of the sea was made cleaner, it would also raise the cleanliness of the Blue Flag testing point east of the pier.

Committee chairman Cllr Rob Gillibrand said: 'The Blue Flag is crucially important to a seaside town like Bognor.'