A national paddleboarding series race in Thanet is set to go ahead today after no-swim advice was lifted.

The final 'tech race' of the Great Britain SUP National Series is being staged at Viking Bay in Broadstairs - but swimmers had been advised against bathing along that stretch of coastline after an "unscreened wastewater release" at a Southern Water pumping station.

Contractors from the water firm have carried out beach inspections every day since the spill on October 5 and Thanet District Council (TDC) officers have been conducting visual inspections.

Southern Water now says "there is no risk to water quality from Southern Water stormwater releases" at Viking Bay.

Andy Webb, who runs event partner Kent Surf School, said: "We can crack on now and get this national race done which is something really new to this area. This is what we're trying to do, not end the season with a negative but end it with a positive.

"This is a really big thing for Kent and boosting tourism and showcasing the stand-up paddleboarding world as well as our beaches and coastline which are utterly beautiful."

The race starts at 10am from the beach at Viking Bay and will call for participants to paddle in and out of the bay over multiple laps.

Southern Water's latest spillage comes after the business was slapped with a record £90 million fine in July after dumping up to 21 billion litres of sewage into protected water between 2010 and 2015.

Cllr Ash Ashbee, leader of TDC, said: "Being forced into a position where we have to ask bathers, water sports enthusiasts and even businesses not to go about their normal activities on the grounds of safety, is simply unacceptable."

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet