It's not such a big problem these days but there are still places that allow the discharge of untreated sewage straight out off the coast. Typically this can is during big storms and such where the normal quality guidelines can affectively be ignored. I still think it's the case that beaches in the UK are classified as recreational (and subject to water quality guidelines) during late spring until end of Autumn.
When I first started surfing at
Cromer 20 years ago the Pier toilet emptied straight out underneath. Not too pleasant when the drift swept things through the lineup.
East Runton, just round the coast, had a sewage pipe that went straight out off the beach. It was removed a long time ago, but did help with the banks so it wasn't all bad
