The majority of popular inland bathing spots in England have been found to be unsafe for swimming, according to a report by Surfers Against Sewage.

In a survey of a representative sample of popular swimming and water sports locations, 60% were found to have pollution at unsafe levels, the annual report from the campaign group said.

Forty locations were sampled weekly by volunteer citizen scientists throughout the 2023 bathing season. Twenty were popular sites for bathing, and 20 were upstream of a nearby sewage overflow associated with those swimming spots. Using Environment Agency methodology, 24 of the 40 locations would be deemed “poor” quality, and four of 20 bathing sites showed a clear decrease in water quality from locations upstream to downstream of a sewage overflow.

Covered in The Guardian