Off for a seaside dip? Think again...
7th May 2012
A study has revealed that, although the standard of water quality around the UK is higher than last year, there are still some bathing spots that pose “unacceptable health risks”
Every year, thousands of Brits enjoy paddling, surfing or swimming in the sea, but despite the efforts of the UK's water industry, “some UK bathing waters still pose an unacceptable health risk to water users”. On publishing the 2012 Good Beach Guide, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) have shown that although there's been an 8% increase in the number of clean beaches, there is still some cause for concern when it comes to going for a wild swim.
“Health risks from swimming in the sea are now considerably lower and water quality is regularly tested during the summer at many UK beaches. But there is still work to be done,” warns MCS Coastal Pollution Officer Rachel Wyatt.
The report showed that a third of the UK's beaches are not meeting set standards. While Wales, the south-west and the north-east of England had the cleanest bathing spots with 80% of beaches passing faecal bacteria tests. The north-west (20% pass rate) and Scotland (41% pass rate) had the fewest clean bathing spots.
Good Beach Guide only approved a fifth of beaches in the north-west. Scottish standards of water quality have slipped since last year, with only 45 beaches recommended out of 110 – a 5% decrease since 2011.
Calum Duncan, MCS Scotland Programme Manager explained why he thought bathing quality standards had slipped: “Intense rainfall increases surface water run-off – which contains livestock waste and dog faeces from farm land and city streets – and can cause untreated sewage to discharge from combined sewer overflows, both of which can have public health implications for Scotland’s coastal waters.”
The MSC expects that the recent heavy April showers have caused many combined sewers to overflow. The exact number is unknown as only a quarter of the 31,000 combined sewer overflows are monitored. The only alternative to overflow into the sea is sewage backing up into toilets or onto the streets.
But fear not, there are still 516 beaches to choose from that did meet MCS standards. On the list were several beaches in St Ives; Brighton, Newhaven and Seaford made the cut too as did numerous beaches in on the Isle of Anglesey and Devon.
More like this
Fancy a outdoor dip? Check out our top 5 wild swims in the UK | Inspire me... More
Once more unto the beach | Destinations... More
Bournemouth's beach is one of the best in Europe | News... More
United Kingdom travel guide | Plan a trip... More