A swimmer claims she was left with 'burning' and 'sore patches of skin that looked like jellyfish stings' after the sea she was in turned orange.
Kate Robarts was one of many swimmers who were caught when the beaches along the south coast of Cornwall became a rusty brown colour yesterday afternoon.
The discoloration was noticed along at least three beaches including Porthpean, Duporth and Charlestown, CornwallLive reports .
Many of the people who were in the sea at the time said that they developed a rash.
Kate said: "The sea was absolutely clear when we got in at 12.20pm but the bloom reached the shore by mid-afternoon.
"Six of us did suffer patches of skin irritation which looked like jellyfish stings. The sensation was of burning.
"We kept our heads up and got out as soon as we realised we were in the middle of what looked like an orange bloom on the surface.
"There was absolutely no smell so I don’t think it was a sewage problem, especially as it came into shore from further out."
She explained that they had their skin checked after the incident happened.
"Two of us went to the minor injury unit and were advised to all shower well to make sure nothing was on our skin," she said.
"We’re all fine, but have slightly sore patches.
"I don’t think we were in it for long enough to suffer any worse symptoms – I hope."
Kate said the group contacted the Environment Agency.
"We sent them photos [of the sea] and photos of all the patches of irritation," she said.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We will hopefully be able to collect a sample from this morning’s tide if the discolouration is present and take it away for analysis.
"We recommend bathers avoid any discoloured water."
South West Water are investigating the incident.
A spokesperson said: "Our pumping station is operating correctly and there is no evidence of a blockage or flooding from our network.
"We would encourage members of the public who see something they think may be sewage pollution to contact us as soon as possible on 0344 346 2020 so that we can investigate.
"We take reports of pollution incidents seriously and will investigate within two hours to ensure any impact on the environment is minimised."
The Environment Agency also has an incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
