Bathing waters in England and Wales could be tested all year round in a government shake-up to water pollution rules.
At the moment, designated bathing sites are only tested for dangerous pollution that could make swimmers sick during the “bathing season”, which runs from May to September.
Campaigners have long argued that people use waterways for recreation such as swimming, fishing and boating throughout the year, so the testing should be consistent. Additionally, the May-September period is often the driest of the year, so it is likely for there to be fewer spills from sewers during that time.
In the first shake-up to bathing rules since 2013, the government is proposing measures including extending the bathing season and therefore the testing to all year round; expanding the legal definition of “bathers” to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers; and ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after five consecutive years of a site being rated “poor”, which can damage local tourism and businesses. Instead, underperforming sites will be individually reviewed by regulators, taking into account their circumstances. Ministers are also considering testing bathing sites at several points to get a more accurate picture of pollution.
Annual ratings classify each site as excellent, good, sufficient or poor on the basis of water quality. The main cause of pollutants to bathing sites are sewage spills and agricultural runoff.
Earlier this year, 27 new sites were designated for bathing. Last year, testing by the Environment Agency found that England’s three river swimming areas all had “poor” status due to pollution. This means people should not swim in them and risk getting sick if they do. Sewage spills and agricultural runoff mean swimming sites can carry E coli and intestinal enterococci, which could make swimmers ill.
Water quality in bathing sites is declining: during the 2023 bathing season, 96% of bathing waters in England met minimum standards, with 90% of bathing waters in England being rated as “good” or “excellent”. The previous year’s statistics showed 97% met the minimum standard of “sufficient”, while 93% met the higher standards of “good” and “excellent”.
