News & Events

Over the last 20 years we’ve made huge progress in making our beaches and bathing waters cleaner.
In 1988 only 18% of our bathing waters met minimum standards, in 2016 this was 100%.
Below is information on how we got there and how we’ll keep it that way…

LOVEmyBEACH website launches

Organisations across the North West have joined forces to create the LOVEmyBEACH campaign. The Turning Tides partnership has launched www.lovemybeach.org offering lots of tips on how people can help keep beaches and bathing waters clean – from volunteering for a beach litter pick to not flushing disposable products down the toilet. You don’t have to live near the beach to make a difference – everyone across the North West region can do something, whether at home, at work or visiting the area.

You can download the news release from our Resources page by clicking below.

River work

Over the last two years the Environment Agency has surveyed over 1000 kilometres of rivers in the North West that impact our bathing waters. Where we’ve found problems such as leaking pipes, we are working with landowners, farmers, local businesses and home owners to make sure things are put right.

Improving the sewer system

By 2015, United Utilities will have spent over £1 billion upgrading sewers and wastewater treatment works to help improve bathing waters. Work started in the 1990s on reducing the amount of sewage entering the waters. Between 2010 and 2015, more than £250 million is being invested in work that will help to further improve the region’s bathing waters. This work includes a £120 million storage tunnel in Preston capable of storing enough storm water to fill 14 Olympic sized swimming pools and new storage tanks in Lancaster.

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Water quality

The Environment Agency monitors bathing waters – stretches of sea or lake where many people swim and paddle – to assess whether they meet the strict standards of the European Bathing Water Directive. The standards are set to protect public health and the environment from pollution.

The Environment Agency takes 20 water samples at each bathing water between May and September each year and post the information online: http://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/

The samples are tested for certain types of bacteria: escherichia coli (E.coli) and intestinal enterococci, which are not directly harmful but indicate the presence of pollution. The bacteria are found in the intestines of animals and humans and pass through the body in poo. High levels of bacteria = poor water quality.

However, the water may be cleaner on the actual day you visit the beach, as the quality can change, particularly after heavy rain washes pollution into rivers and the sea. Look out for daily forecasts at some beaches.

Each beach is also given an annual classification. From 2015 this is based on sample results over the previous four years, e.g. 2015 results use data from 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. 2016 results use data from 2013 to 2016 and so on. The classifications are:

Excellent

The standard is the highest, cleanest class

Good

Generally good water quality

Sufficient

The water meets the minimum standards

Poor

Bathing is not advised at this beach as water quality has not met sufficient standards

If a bathing water is classed as Poor, you are advised not to bathe because samples taken over the previous four years have been affected by pollution. This does not mean the beach is closed – you can still enjoy everything the beach has to offer.

If a water sample has high levels of bacteria, analysis is done to estimate* the sources of pollution and work is planned in the area to improve water quality. When this work is significant and is expected to help improve bathing water quality, the four years of data for the annual classification starts from the time the work is completed and sample data from before the work are not included. This is called step change.

*Estimates are based on computer modelling, DNA analysis, and knowledge of the local area. The estimates can never be perfect because pollution to bathing waters changes from day to day depending on the season, the tides and the weather.