Raw sewage is seeping into a protected river - yards from a popular footpath.
Tests conducted by Essex University on the Stour Estuary near Wrabness showed evidence of human sewage along with the potentially deadly E-coli bacteria.
The affected area is to the west of the village - upstream from the popular Wrabness foreshore and next to the Essex Way footpath.
Four tests were carried out in February and Wrabness Parish Council last night heard two showed no pollution but two showed significant levels of pollutants associated with human effluent.
Acting chairman Nick Jarratt described the university report as "serious".
He said: "What it boils down to is human faeces contaminating the water. E-coli is also present. "There is an outflow pipe which gets washed in on high tides."
A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said: "There is a septic tank for 12 private houses. As they are private it is a communal responsibility.
"The sewage is causing a polluting discharge but is not having a major effect on the estuary. It's not huge because it's only coming from 12 houses - there is a huge dilution factor once it hits the estuary."
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