YORKSHIRE Water confirmed yesterday that 7.6million will be spent to improve sewage treatment facilities in Scarborough.
The cash, which will be used to upgrade Scalby Mills pumping station and Scarborough treatment works, has been earmarked as part of a larger project to improve the quality of beaches and bathing water down the whole of Yorkshire's east coast.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said that the work was being carried out as part of a ""wider multi-agency investment"", the full details of which should be announced next month.
They added: ""At the moment it is too early to detail exactly what this investment will include as a scoping project has just begun.""
Earlier this week, campaign group Surfers Against Sewage said that North Bay and Filey beaches should be stripped of their Blue Flag status, because the council did not monitor sewage spills properly.
The claims were dismissed as ""complete nonsense"" by the local authority.
Scarborough MP Robert Goodwill welcomed news of the ""massive investment"".
He said: ""I know there have been problems when we get heavy rain, and the works take on more water than they can deal with.
""It's not just the smell that's the problem, but the fact that partially-treated sewage is going into the sea.
""They have realised they have a problem and have taken steps to address it by investing a serious amount of money.
""I don't think safety has ever been an issue, and the Surfers Against Sewage group have not been particularly helpful.
""We've got very clean beaches and a fantastic record of cleaning them up since the 1960s.""
For several months, North Bay residents have been complaining of odours coming intermittently from the Scalby Mills pumping station.
Scalby Mills Road resident Don Robinson has been visited by representatives of Yorkshire Water on several occasions to speak about the issue.
He said: ""I've been impressed by the people that came to see me, and I'm delighted they're spending a considerable amount of money to make this right.
""We need to save the blue flag status of our bay. I think everyone wants that.""
WORKS GET TREATMENT... 7.6 million will be spent to upgrade sewage facilities in Scarborough.