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…

Why I volunteer

So many people who live along Britain’s coasts rarely go down to their local beach. When we returned to St Annes, having lived and worked in the Manchester area for many years, I was determined that living “at the seaside” would mean that I regularly saw the sea!
Being a LOVEmyBEACH volunteer makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live on the Fylde coast. Helping to keep the beach clean, by picking up litter once a week, is a pleasure, not a chore. Our small friendly group meanders along the shore collecting any debris that has been left by visitors or by the tide. We always hope we might discover something exciting, though sadly the bulk of the litter consists of bottles, cans and sweet wrappers. But at the end of our morning’s work, we can clearly see the huge difference we’ve made, so it’s always very satisfying.

Janet Curran, St Annes North beach volunteer

If you’d like to become a LOVEmyBEACH volunteer like Janet, click What can I do? to find out more.

2013 bathing water season results

Defra has announced that 99% of England’s bathing waters met European water quality standards in 2013. Every week between May and September the Environment Agency tests levels of bacteria in samplestaken from bathing waters designated for swimming and paddling. We have 32 bathing waters in the North West with 88% complying with the standards in 2013. However, four of them failed meaning two of the 20 samples taken didn’t meet the minimum standards. A fail doesn’t mean the water quality is always poor.But it does mean there’s more we need to do to keep beaches and bathing waters clean, including investment in infrastructure, beach clean ups, tackling misconnected drains, education around litter and dog mess, working with farmers and partnership groups across the region.

In 2015 the standards become almost twice as strict. Please check your drains are connected right so that ‘dirty water’ from toilets and washing machines goes into the foul sewer and not surface drains. Visit www.connectright.org.uk for more information.You don’t have to live by the sea to make a difference!

Neil Jack, Chair of Turning Tides, said: “We know how people love to come to the seaside in the North West and we are proud that our hard work has led to more bathing waters complying with tough European standards. We’re committed to working together across the partnership and with volunteers, businesses, farmers and local communities to make sure our beaches continue to thrive.”

Please see What can I do? to find out how you can help and if you spot pollution, call the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 80 70 60.

Employee volunteering

Anna-Clare O’Neill shared her thoughts with us after joining a beach clean in Blackpool organised with LOVEmyBEACH by the local Business In The Community group. The event in South Shore was available to businesses to promote Give & Gain 2013 day in Blackpool and give them an easy way to try employee volunteering and experience the benefits. The group did a litter pick on the beach and carried out a nature survey. Anna is a freelance PR consultant who saw the event as a way to spend time at the beach and give something back. Anna said of the experience:

“I had a great time and met some lovely people, though there wasn’t much to clean up as the beach was spotless to begin with! I love the coast. I moved down to the North West from Newcastle in May – we lived near the sea there so I’m really missing the beautiful local beaches. I think it’s really important to look after the environment and I’m hoping to attend another clean up event soon.”

If you’d like to come along to a beach clean – see our ‘Events’ section. If you’d like to organise a beach clean with work colleagues, friends or for a local group such as Brownies, just get in touch with a co-ordinator – see our ‘Contact’ section. We hope to see you soon!

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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.