More British beaches get top quality award
The Marine Conservation Society has recommended the biggest number of UK beaches than ever before – with more than 500 getting its official seal of approval.
The quality of bathing water along Britain’s seaside coasts has reached its highest level for 25 years, since the Good Beach Guide was first published. The Marine Conservation Society tested 754 beaches around the country, and found that 516 of them had excellent water quality. That’s 8% higher than last year, and the best figure in the Guide’s history.
The tests are carried out every summer, using samples taken once a week and tested for bacteria which could show the presence of pollution from sewage or other sources of waste. The European Union’s bathing water directive sets a mandatory minimum standard, which earns beaches a basic grade. To make the “recommended” award, the samples must meet the stricter British criteria.
According to today’s results, the country’s top performing region was the North East, with resorts from Skegness in Lincolnshire to Whitby in North Yorkshire securing the top quality status. However results were distinctly patchy: in Scotland just 45 out of 110 beaches met the gold standard, less than the previous year. Experts said Scottish water quality had been hit by the summer’s heavy rain, which was well above average in many areas.
No cause for complacency
The Marine Conservation Society’s pollution officer, Rachel Wyatt, said although the figures could help to boost tourism, there was no reason to sit back. “This is a milestone for coastal resorts to be proud of”, she said, but warned that more stringent standards would come into place in 2015. “It’s really important that local authorities, water companies and environmental regulators don’t become complacent and take their collective feet off the pedal of continued environmental improvements.”
She also expressed concern about the poor perfomance of beaches in parts of the UK, and called on water companies to put more investment into making sure untreated sewage was properly dealt with, after periods of heavy rain. At the moment, more than 30,000 overflow systems are in operation, but the MSC said less than a quarter of them were checked to find out how often raw sewage leaks into the sea.
Online information
The Environment Agency has already put information about the quality of 500 beaches in England and Wales online, so holidaymakers can check whether the water is safe for swimming. They said around £8 billion in investment by water companies had been ploughed into upgrading the sewage system, although more work was still needed to improve the service still further.
A spokesperson for the Agency told Channel 4 News: “Bathing water quality has improved significantly over the past two decades, but we are not complacent… we are working with water companies, local authorities and farmers to tackle sources of pollution.”
But for the moment, it seems there are hundreds of beaches around the country which swimmers and surfers can still enjoy. Campaigners will keep up the pressure to make sure those high standards are not only maintained, but improved.