Don’t come on in… the water’s terrible: major reduction in number of recommended beaches
The launch of the next round of the Coast Communities Fund, a very flexible and good source of coastal regneration funding needs to be read alongside this story. It points to the water quality issues facing coastal resorts, particularly those connected with rural places, where the rainy season we have been living with all year, has caused major problems in terms of agricultural run off. If you want some help connecting the dots about what the coastal communities fund might do to help let me know:
The number of beaches failing to meet even minimum standards for water quality has risen, and the South West in particular saw a number of its previously recommended beaches fail, including Exmouth in Devon and Bude Summerleaze in Cornwall. In the North West, just three beaches are recommended for excellent water, with popular beaches at Blackpool North and South failing to meet even the basic mandatory standards.
The alarming results were revealed in the annual Marine Conservation Society (MCS) report, which assesses water quality at most UK beaches, looking for pollutants and safety hazards.
The organisation warns today that swimmers could fall ill from bathing in water polluted by an increase in harmful bacteria and viruses.
Out of 754 beaches surveyed, just 403 were awarded the top “recommended” award in 2012, 113 fewer than the previous year. Meanwhile, 42 beaches failed to meet the minimum EU levels for acceptable bathing water, 17 more than 2011’s figures published in the Good Beach Guide.
The major reduction in the number of recommended beaches stems from the effects of rain and flooding, such as agricultural and urban run-off, storm waters, plumbing misconnections, septic tanks and dog waste.