A beach or river on England’s list of designated bathing waters means water quality is routinely tested. Water samples will be taken at consistent points at these locations and sent to the lab for testing. Scientists will look for elevated levels of E. Coli and intestinal enterococci – bad bacteria found in sewage and other waste.
The results of these samples will inform a dedicated group of scientists and officers who are on standby 24/7 to respond to any reports of problems found at beaches and other bathing waters. The results will also be catalogued on the Swimfo website which also contains a lot more information about each bathing water – its history, a description of the surrounding area as well as several years of results.
The results, taken over four years, give the Environment Agency great confidence when deciding upon what classification a beach will be given later in the year. Any classification from ‘Sufficient’ and above means the water quality is safe to swim in. Out of 155 monitored bathing waters, there are only 2 beaches in Devon and Cornwall – Coastguards Beach on the Erme Estuary and Porthluney – with results tipping them into the ‘Poor’ classification. This doesn’t mean they are dirty. A ‘Poor’ classification means that very high standards are not consistently met, and the Environment Agency is actively investigating why.
Bruce Newport of the Environment Agency said
Over a third of England’s bathing waters can be found in Devon and Cornwall and over 98 per cent of them meet the very high levels of water quality expected for safe swimming.
We also publish a daily water quality forecast on many of our beaches which can be found on our Swimfo website. This service is a great asset, especially after heavy rainfall which can temporarily cause a dip in water quality.
Throughout the season, which runs from 15 May until the end of September, the Environment Agency will be taking more than 7000 samples at 451 designated bathing waters across England.
Today also marks the re-opening of applications for new bathing waters which have been closed since October 2023. Since then, the government has announced significant reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations to better reflect public use of iconic swimming spots. Successful sites will be announced next year.
Background
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Bathing waters are officially designated outdoor swimming sites. England has 451 designated bathing waters, which are monitored and classified by the Environment Agency.
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Applicants are encouraged to use the bathing water season to gather evidence for their applications. Prospective sites will be assessed for their suitability as a designated bathing water. Applications for the 2026 season will close on 31 October 2025.
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The Environment Agency has driven £2.5 billion of investment and facilitated partnerships to dramatically improve our bathing waters.
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Last year, nearly 92% of bathing waters in England met the minimum water quality standards. More information on 2024 bathing water classifications is available here.
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The UK Health Security Agency and Environment Agency also offer advice in their ‘swim healthy’ guidance, which is available to read before making any decision on swimming.
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Bathing waters are stretches of water throughout England which we monitor for two types of bacteria E.coli and intestinal enterococci. We monitor for these two bacteria because they indicate that there are germs in the water which can make you ill.
