Sewage waste is having to be pumped into the water surrounding Devon's coast in an attempt to stop the collapse of a sewage network.
On Monday a gaping hole in the seawall on the main seafront between Torquay and Paignton caused part of the road to collapse, undermining the sewer.
South West Water is diverting 21,000 cubic metres of waste a day away from the sewer as a result, forcing it to pump the raw waste into the sea at Hope's Nose.
And it is likely some of the waste could wash up on parts of the Devon coast with Torbay Council considering closing a nearby beach.
In a statement South West Water said:
"The collapse has damaged and threatens to catastrophically undermine a large section of our sewerage network which means sewage flows must be diverted away from the affected area while repairs are made, and unfortunately this means the overflow system at Hope's Nose was brought into operation yesterday evening to protect homes and businesses from internal sewer flooding.
Adding: "We are working closely with Torbay Council and the Environment Agency to complete repairs as soon as possible."
The damaged pipework would normally take between 20,000 and 30,000 cubic meters of sewage a day from Ilsham Valley Pumping Station to Brokenbury Sewage Treatment Works.
Signs have been erected around Torbay to warn people to stay away from beaches because of the raw sewage pollution linked to the Livermead sea wall collapse.
The environment agency has said that the East Devon should not be affected by the waste.
