The Environment Agency is warning that a record number of England's beaches are at risk of failing to meet tougher European Union water quality standards.
The revised EU Bathing Water Directive could see 25 English beaches, including Blackpool, Ilfracombe, Hastings and Margate fail to meet the tighter standards - under the new regulations, the concentration level of bacteria including E. coli and intestinal enterococci, per 100ml of water, can be only half of what used to be allowed in order to attain the "excellent" rating.
The European Union's revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) which came into force in March 2006 introduced a new classification system with more stringent water quality standards and put an emphasis on providing information to the public.
From November 2015, bathing waters will be classed as either excellent, good, sufficient or poor. The water quality standards for the new classifications are much higher than those of the original Directive.
The two most significant sources of pollution that reduce water quality are pollution from agriculture and sewage from water company infrastructure, according to the Environment Agency.
Ed Mitchell, executive director of environment and business at the EA said the new higher standards for bathing water will further protect the public.
The water companies have made significant investments to improve bathing water quality during the last two decades - for example, South West Water has invested more than £2 billion to transform bathing water quality across its region over the past 20 years
The water company is currently completing £20 million of schemes to further improve bathing water quality at Lyme Regis, Teignmouth, Torbay, Mothecombe, Seaton (Cornwall), East Looe and Combe Martin in preparation for the directive.
The 25 beaches at risk of failing the new standards are:
- Allonby, Cumbria
- Blackpool Central
- Blackpool North
- Budleigh Salterton, Devon
- Burnham Jetty North, Somerset
- Clacton (Groyne 41), Essex
- Cleveleys, Lancashire
- Fleetwood, Lancashire
- Hastings, Sussex
- Haverigg, Cumbria
- Henleaze Lake, Bristol
- Ilfracombe Wildersmouth, Devon
- Instow, Devon
- Lancing, Beach Green, West Sussex
- Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach, West Dorset
- Morecambe South, Lancashire
- Mothecombe, Devon
- Porth, Cornwall
- Porthluney, Cornwall
- Seaton, Cornwall
- Silloth, Cumbria
- Spittal, Northumberland
- Staithes, North Yorkshire
- Teignmouth Town, Devon
- Walpole Bay, Margate, Kent
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