Dr Neil Hudson MP has welcomed the Conservative Government's decision to establish 27 new bathing water sites across England ahead of the summer swimming season - taking the total number of bathing waters across England to 451, the highest number to date.
Following a public consultation the 27 new sites were designated, of which are 4 in Cumbria - three in Coniston Water and one in Derwent Water. These will immediately benefit from regular water testing.
The Environment Agency regularly monitors water quality at designated bathing water sites and assesses whether action is needed to cut pollution levels – working with local communities, farmers, and water companies to improve water quality at these locations.
Dr Hudson is one of the leading voices in Parliament advocating for cleaner waters having helped finetune new laws to make fines for polluters unlimited, invest more in our Victorian wastewater infrastructure and give regulators more power to make sure water companies are compliant.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"Local bathing waters are a valuable asset for local communities, with powerful public benefits for local economies, leisure, and both mental and physical health.
"For regions like ours that rely so much on tourism, nature and the environment today's measures are a shot in the arm for the visitor sector that provides so much in the way of jobs and growth.
"Today's announcement further reinforces how our Government is continually working to improve and modernise water systems across the nation. I'm delighted to welcome yet another piece to the holistic clean water jigsaw that also includes our Conservative investment of £60 billion over 25 years to overhaul our Victorian infrastructure, introducing unlimited fines for immoral polluters and even supporting farmers to prevent agricultural runoff."
The government will also launch a consultation later this year on proposals to reform the Bathing Water Regulations for England. The proposed changes will drive work to improve bathing water quality, enhance monitoring and enable more flexibility around the dates of the bathing water monitoring season. For example, proposals will include increasing monitoring outside of the bathing water season and preventing automatic de-designation of existing bathing water sites.
Defra will also seek public and stakeholder views on extending the definition of ‘bathers’ to include a wider range of water users in addition to swimmers – such as rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders. More information on this consultation will be published in due course.
The next application round will commence in Spring 2025.
Water Minister Robbie Moore added:
"The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country – and I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year.
"These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring to ensure bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water and enable action to be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met.
"I am fully committed to seeing the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes rise further for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses them."
Last year, 96% of bathing waters in England met the minimum standards, with 90% classified as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, up from 76% in 2010, despite the classification standards becoming stricter in 2015. The government also updated its guidance last year to make the application process clearer and easier to follow.
Today’s announcement follows recent measures delivered to improve the water environment, including:
· A new £11m Water Restoration Fund to reinvest water company fines and penalties back into the water environment.
· Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England - providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
· Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
· Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
· Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
· A targeted plan to better preserve and protect the River Wye, including £35m in funding.
· £11.5m in government support for 180 local projects to boost tree planting, habitat restoration and flood management through the Water Environment Improvement Fund.
· Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.
