Environment Agency: North West bathing water quality rated good but more work to be done

The Environment Agency says 61% of North-West bathing waters have been rated Good (12, 35%) or Excellent (9, 26%), 5 (14%) failed to meet the minimum required and have been classified as Poor. 

The 2024 statistics on English coastal and inland bathing waters follow testing by the Environment Agency at 450 sites regularly used by swimmers throughout the summer, including 27 new sites designated earlier this year. These tests monitor for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, specifically E. coli and intestinal enterococci.  

Despite significant improvement since the 1990s, when just 28% were rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, today’s results make clear that more still needs to be done to improve their quality for people and the environment. 

The proportion of ‘good’ and ‘excellent’-rated sites has fallen slightly, in part due to the existing water quality of the 27 new bathing water sites designated across England this year, 18 of which are classified as ‘poor’. This is not unexpected, as the new sites have not been managed for bathing before, and it takes time to understand and tackle the sources of pollution affecting them.  

Without the newly designated bathing waters, 95% of sites nationally would meet minimum standards this year, only slightly down from 96% last year. 

Ian Crewe, Area Director for the Environment Agency in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire has said:    

The long-term trend for bathing water quality in the Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire area remains positive this year with 75% achieving Good or Excellent.  

“Water samples taken by the Environment Agency throughout the bathing water season provide vital evidence into how the bathing waters are affected by different pollution sources. Wet weather and storm conditions during the bathing season can increase land runoff and wastewater impacts, and can increase the effect of naturally-occurring situations such as seabird passage. We investigate the impacts of these potential changes as part of our annual bathing water planning work. 

“There is still much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy and action plans are in place for poor and sufficient waters to work with partners to investigate the problems they are facing.      

“We are disappointed to see deteriorations at West Kirby, Meols and Wallasey, and this makes us even more committed to working with key partners and water companies to improve water quality at these important destinations.”

Water Minister Emma Hardy said: 

“These figures are unacceptable and show that too many of our popular swimming spots are polluted. 

“That’s why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water Bill, which will strengthen regulation including new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers. 

“This is just the start – we’ve launched the largest review of the water sector since privatisation to attract the investment we need and reform the water system to help clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”

Following today’s results, the Environment Agency is working with local partners to take targeted action to improve water quality at all bathing water classified as ‘Poor.”