With summer on its way, people will soon be heading to the beaches, rivers and lakes for a refreshing dip in the water - but this interactive map shows the spots too polluted for people to swim. There are 421 locations in England that have been designated as official bathing spots by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
But while the vast majority of them are fine for a swim, there are 12 that people should definitely avoid. The water quality at each of them is regularly checked by the Environment Agency in order to ensure that they are safe for the public to use.
The water quality was so poor at 12 sites that they advise against bathing there. They include popular beaches such as Blackpool North and Weston-super-Mare, as well as the river Wharfe in Ilkley, which featured in the Paul Whitehouse documentary, “Our Troubled Rivers”. You can find the spots deemed unfit for bathing using our interactive map:
As well as the 12 where it’s advised not to bathe, a further two sites have been closed, while another nine have been delisted as official bathing spots since 2016.
