Results for the 2010 Good Beach Guide showed a 13% drop in the number of UK bathing beaches recommended for excellent water quality, when in comparison to the results of the high in 2007.
In total, 421 (54.7%) UK beaches are ‘MCS Recommended’ this year out of 769 tested, compared to 388 (50.1%) last year. This is still down on the 2007 peak of 62.8% ‘MCS Recommended’.
Bathing water tests are conducted from May to September 2009.
|
Good Beach Guide recommendations
|
|
UK region
|
Number of beaches sampled
|
|
Number of beaches recommended by the MCS
|
|
|
Number of beaches failing
|
|
|
|
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
% change
|
2010
|
2009
|
|
Scotland
|
105
|
109
|
39
|
41
|
-0.5%
|
13
|
17
|
|
Wales
|
169
|
181
|
94
|
92
|
4.8%
|
10
|
20
|
|
Channel Islands
|
29
|
29
|
18
|
11
|
24.1%
|
2
|
1
|
|
Northern Ireland
|
24
|
23
|
8
|
7
|
2.9%
|
2
|
1
|
|
Isles of Man
|
19
|
18
|
1
|
1
|
-0.3%
|
5
|
3
|
|
England total
|
423
|
415
|
261
|
236
|
4.8%
|
9
|
24
|
|
South West
|
193
|
195
|
127
|
121
|
3.7%
|
5
|
12
|
|
South East
|
129
|
124
|
84
|
75
|
4.6%
|
0
|
1
|
|
North East
|
63
|
63
|
45
|
34
|
17.4%
|
0
|
5
|
|
North West
|
38
|
33
|
5
|
6
|
-7.5%
|
4
|
6
|
|
UK total
|
769
|
775
|
421
|
388
|
4.6%
|
41
|
66
|
‘MCS Recommended’ is one of five UK beach awards, but is the only scheme that focuses entirely on water quality standards and the risk of sewage pollution. MCS will only recommend beaches in the Good Beach Guide if they are better than the Guideline European water quality standard and are not affected by inadequately treated continuous sewage discharge.
South West results 2010
66% of beaches in the South West are Marine Conservation Society Recommended – 127 out of 193 tested - whilst 5 beaches failed the legal minimum water quality standard.
The South West is still the guide’s top performing region for the fifth year in succession.
From 2007-2009, the summer months were the wettest period since 1914 in terms of rainfall quantities. The higher rainfall has increased pollution from combined sewer overflows and washed pollutants like fertilisers, livestock waste, and urban debris from land, into rivers and the sea.
Initiatives helping with these issues include catchment sensitive farming (CSF). The revised Bathing Water Directive will drive improvements in water quality as the standards are more stringent than those in the current directive.
Within the region, Cornwall had the largest number of recommended beaches, closely followed by Dorset and Devon:
|
South West Good Beach Guide recommendations
|
|
County
|
Number of Good Beach Guide recommendations 2010
|
|
Cornwall
|
56
|
|
Devon
|
33
|
|
Dorset
|
35
|
|
Somerset
|
3
|
|
South West total
|
127
|
Full details of all recommended beaches in the South West can be found here.
Warmer, wetter winters and summers which contain violent storms and flash floods are forecast to be a consequence of climate change and will substantially increase coastal pollution pressures.
Bathing waters need to be clean enough for people to swim in. It's the Environment Agency's job to monitor and assess the water quality of bathing waters in England and Wales to ensure they are fit for purpose. See our page on Bathing Water Quality.
