NEARLY every one of Devon and Cornwall’s 155 monitored bathing waters meets the minimum standards for bathing water quality.

Sampling has been carried out by the Environment Agency at every monitored site between May and September and each monitored bathing water’s classification updated to reflect the latest four years of data:

Bruce Newport, area environment manager, said: “We’ve taken thousands of samples from Devon and Cornwall’s 155 monitored bathing waters this summer. Our sampling results drive investment across all sectors based on a four-year period of consistent results. They are not designed to give instant information about if it’s safe to swim. What we do is to take a long-term view on how clean beaches and rivers are so people can make an informed choice where to bathe.”

This year five beaches in Devon and Cornwall improved their bathing water classification, with three of the new estuarine sites meeting minimum standard and above. Those improving from good to excellent include Long Rock, near Penzance, and those changing from Excellent to Good included Kingsand, near Torpoint.

Two monitored bathing waters where consistently good water quality is a result of community effort include East Looe. The beach has active groups that work closely with the Environment Agency, water company and others to maintain and improve their sites. Local efforts to reduce litter, dog fouling and secure improvements saw it rise to Sufficient in 2021 and then Good in 2022, which has been maintained since.

AI signage is currently being trialed to encourage more intelligence gathering from all visitors. A history of disappointing bathing water classifications inspired Looe’s residents to make improvements. Water company investment has seen overflows drop to permitted levels. Farm campaigns by agency officers have reduced pollution and enforcement taken against a waste site at the catchment’s headwaters.

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.

In total, 92 per cent of bathing waters in England have met minimum water quality standards, with 85 per cent of bathing waters being rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. 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 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 per cent of sites would meet minimum standards this year, only slightly down from 96 per cent last year.