Scarborough and Flamborough bathing water quality improved
The latest classifications by the Environment Agency have been revealed
Last updated 20th Jan 2022
There have been improvements to the bathing water quality at some Yorkshire Coast beaches.
The Environment Agency has revealed its latest classifications for the 2021 season.
It shows Flamborough South Landing improved from 'Good' to 'Excellent' and Scarborough South Bay has improved from 'Poor' to 'Sufficient'.
The Environment Agency says bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season. Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.
Along the Yorkshire Coast there are 18 bathing waters from Withernsea in the south to Runswick Bay in the north, with 16 of them classified as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.
The sevenbathing waters classified as ‘Excellent’ are: Flamborough South, Danes Dyke Flamborough, Scarborough North Bay, Cayton Bay, Reighton, Runswick Bay, and Whitby.
Geraldine Sewell, coastal delivery and engagement manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
“We know how important the coastline is to our customers and visitors to Yorkshire and these results are positive for the region.
“Improvements at Scarborough South Bay are the product of hard work from a variety of partners in the region. However, we know there is still more to do, and we will be working with partners locally to continue this critical work.
“Our ‘Do your bit’ campaign continues to protect and improve bathing waters. Encouraging everyone who visits our beaches to recycle plastics, put all litter in the bins and pick up after their dogs will contribute to improving our beaches further and help our coastal resorts continue to thrive.”
Environment Agency chair Emma Howard Boyd said:
“With billions spent on seaside visits every year, we know good water quality helps coastal towns prosper. Twenty years of improvements in bathing water took targeted regulation and significant investment. While this is reflected in today’s results we must continue to work together to maintain this trend.
“We cannot afford to be complacent. Public confidence in water quality has faltered in recent years with new evidence of pollution incidents getting much needed attention as a result of some excellent campaigning. The polluter must pay. To restore trust, water companies, industry and farmers need to get the basics right or face legal action.
“The prize is multiple benefits to people and nature. The Environment Agency is working to ensure £120 million is invested in coastal habitats like England’s saltmarshes, which protect against coastal erosion and also store carbon equivalent to nearly 40 million people’s annual domestic emissions.”
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
“Water quality is an absolute priority. We are the first Government to direct Ofwat to prioritise action by water companies to protect the environment and deliver the improvements that we all want to see.
“But we must go further to protect and enhance water quality. Our Environment Act puts in place more protections against water pollution than ever before, we are investing in programmes to support farmers to tackle water quality issues, and we are clear that where water companies do not step up we will take robust action.”
Knowing more about water quality can help people make informed decisions on when and where to swim. The Environment Agency’s Swimfo website provides detailed information on each of the 400+ bathing waters in England, and notifies bathers when Pollution Risk Warnings have been issued.
Scarborough Borough Council cabinet member for environment and sustainability, Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, said:
“I welcome the good news that the quality of water at all the borough’s designated beaches has been recognised as suitable for bathing, including Scarborough South Bay.
“We will continue to work with our partners to look at ways of further improving standards for the benefit of all beach users. This is particularly important as it only takes a very small number of poor water samples in a season for a bathing water classification to be adversely affected.
“Everyone can help to keep our beaches and seas clean for current and future generations by recycling and disposing of litter responsibly, picking up after their dogs and not feeding seabirds.”