Like many coastal villages, . When you sit on the sand looking out to sea on a sunny day or even when enjoying a stormy winter walk, there is a charm to the village. The north coast village and former industrial harbour, where until the early 1970s, ships full of coal would come down from Wales and complete the return journey laden with tin and copper from local mines, now welcomes coastal walkers, dog lovers and tourists.
Devoid of a leisure centre or a supermarket, with only one pub out of three open, Portreath just has its beach to attract thousands of holidaymakers. Yet it prides itself on its strong sense of community and for many, it revolves around the beach and the physical and mental health benefits of the sea. "It takes two and half hours on the bus to get to from here," Ruth FitzJohn, an active member of the local Portreath and Porthtowan Bluetits swimmers group, said.
"We don't have much as a village, but it is a warm and friendly community. For many of us, going in the sea is a way to show connection and human warmth. "We're proud of where we live.
We love it here when it's quiet and when the beach is full of thousands of visitors. We want our local businesses to thrive. And we want our village to be safe and welcoming and have three pubs, not just one.
That's why we're angry." Portreath is almost literally in the eye of the storm when it comes to sewage pollution. Not only are there two large combined sewage overflow (CSO) outlets dumping untreated sewage straig.