Have your say on Bathing Waters in England and Wales

16 Dec 2024

4 minute read

Bathing Water results for England and Wales are now out. Use your voice to respond to the joint UK Government and Welsh Government consultation on Bathing Waters.

This year’s Bathing Water results in England and Wales

Earlier this month Defra and the Welsh Government announced the latest Bathing Water results for England and Wales.

Out of 450 sites in England, 92% met the minimum water quality standard of “sufficient”, with 85% of Bathing Waters being rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

37 Bathing Waters failed to meet the minimum standard and are classified as ‘poor’ which means that bathing is not advised due to the amount of pollution recorded and the associated concern for the health of water users.

In contrast, 108 of Wales' 110 Bathing Waters (98% of sites) were rated ‘sufficient’ or higher, with 75 of the 110 sites classed as ‘excellent’.

The problem with Bathing Water Regulations

The Bathing Water results don't paint a full picture of our Bathing Waters. Research shows that water samples are not frequent enough and samples taken during short term pollution are allowed to be removed, providing an inaccurate assessment of water quality.

The current definition of a 'bather' includes only swimmers and excludes many other water users such as surfers and kayakers.
Monitoring of Bathing Waters is not continued outside of the traditional Bathing Season when many people still use the water.
Some samples can be removed due to short term pollution and abnormal situations.

Earlier this month, Defra and the Welsh Government released a public consultation of Bathing Water reform.

Woman swimming in the sea

Credit: Catherine Gemmell

Bathing Water Reform Consultation

The current Bathing Water Regulations are based on science and recommendations from 20 years ago and patterns in our recreation and knowledge of the risks associated with poor water quality have changed in that time. More people are using our seas, rivers and lakes for recreation, from cold water dips to surfing throughout the year.

On 12th November, Defra and the Welsh Government launched a consultation on the reform of the Bathing Water Regulations in England and Wales.

The consultation includes three main reforms and two wider reforms. Anyone can respond to the consultation, and you can use your voice to help protect our seas from sewage pollution.

We’ve outlined a summary of our response to each reform. The deadline for the consultation is the 23rd December 2024.

Access the consultation here.

Have your say in the Bathing Water Regulations consultation

Bathing Water Regulations Consulation

Our response to the consultation

Strongly agree. Designation of Bathing Waters should drive water quality improvements to protect the health of water users. Automatic de-designation after five years does not support this aim. However, removing this timescale should not be used to delay or slow down future improvements. Site specific improvement plans should specify timebound actions to meet the ‘sufficient’ standard as soon as possible and taking longer than five years should only happen in exceptional circumstances. Planning processes, such as water company investment cycles, need to allow more flexibility to investigate and address water quality issues as soon as possible.

Strongly disagree. For a site to be considered for designation there must already be a large number of people using the water. Not designating a site based on infeasibility of improving the water quality does not provide water users with any information to enable them to make an informed choice about whether to use the water. This is not in the spirit of the Regulations which aim to protect the health of water users.

Agree. The current 20-week bathing season, 15th May to 30th September, should be kept as a minimum at all Bathing Water sites and there should be flexibility to allow this to be extended. Extending the Bathing Water season would provide better protection and more information for water users, as well as increasing recreation and tourism value. This is particularly relevant for sites which are popular all year round, and for those that are well used during Easter and October half terms which fall outside of the current Bathing Season. The Bathing Season should not be shortened at any Bathing Water site. A shorter Bathing Season would negatively impact public health, other beach management practices, local businesses and tourism. There should be further public consultation before any changes are made to the length of the Bathing Season.

Agree. To achieve the aim of protecting public health the definition of ‘bathers’ should be expanded to include all users of the water and the immediate beach area. Including anybody who is in, on, or near the water. In addition, all users should be included, whether they are using the water recreationally, for business, or as part of an organised event. This reform should be brought forward as soon as possible.

Strongly agree. Multiple monitoring points would provide a better understanding of the quality of the water and allow water users to make informed decisions. In addition, more frequent sampling of Bathing Waters and consideration of a wider range of pollutants would provide a more accurate assessment of water quality. For example, The World Health Organisation recommend that at least 20 water samples are taken annually at a Bathing Water, and that there should be further research into future viral and pathogen indicators, antimicrobial resistance and consideration of health risks from microplastics and chemical contaminants. In addition, all samples taken during the Bathing Season should be included in the overall classification, including those taken during short term pollution events.

This reform is a great opportunity for everybody that uses our coastal and inland waters to let decision makers know what's important to them.
Rachel Wyatt, Policy & Advocacy Manager for Water Quality

“This legislation needs to drive water quality improvements and protect the health of everybody using our beaches, rivers, and lakes - whether they are in it, on it, or at the water's edge - whenever they are using it.”

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