Image description: A woman wild swimming in the Lake District. Image by Jaz Blakeston-Petch on Unsplash
The Environment Agency has published its 2025 bathing water classifications, showing 87% of England’s 449 designated bathing sites are now rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’. Since last year, the number of “excellent” sites has risen from 289 to 297, while “poor” sites fell from 37 to 32.
However, critics note that 2024 was the year bathing waters were the most polluted since records began in 1991 and 2025’s exceptionally dry conditions would also naturally lead to less pollution, with less runoff from rainfall. Famous beaches including Bognor Regis, Scarborough’s South Bay and Littlehaven Beach in South Shields were all rated “poor”. The updated classifications still mean one in seven of England’s bathing waters are rated as polluted, and one in 14 so polluted they are not recommended for swimming.
Testing System Under Fire
Watershed Investigations argues the EA’s data masks serious problems. “Excellent doesn’t always mean safe,” warns journalist Rachel Salvidge. The EA’s classification system tests only for two bacteria (E.coli and enterococci), averages results over four years, and samples each site only around 15 times per season – missing pollution incidents and ignoring chemicals, pharmaceuticals, superbugs and pathogens.
Notably, Watershed’s 2024 investigation with University of York scientists found E.coli up to 22 times higher than US safe limits, superbug genes linked to antimicrobial resistance, and cocktails of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and PFAS at popular swimming spots.
The government’s new reforms coming into law do not introduce testing for chemicals, pharmaceuticals or resistance genes, nor require testing after sewage spills or bring UK standards in line with US, NZ or EU thresholds, with campaigners saying they fall short of what is needed.
River sites face bleak picture
All but four of England’s designated river bathing sites received the lowest “poor” classification. River Action’s James Wallace noted that France has over 1,200 inland bathing sites – the vast majority graded ‘excellent’- while England has just 35.
Surfers Against Sewage called the classifications “dangerously out of touch“, pointing to beaches like Porthtowan rated ‘excellent’ despite 218 hours of sewage discharges this year and a cancelled surfing competition due to pollution.
Future Designations at Risk
Ministers recently announced a feasibility test requiring waterways seeking bathing status to demonstrate they can achieve at least “sufficient” water quality. This is likely to exclude many river sites, as no single stretch of river in England is rated as having good overall health.
Recent research found England’s waterways with bathing status are five times more likely to be polluted than those in the EU. A government analysis identified 3,347 water recreation locations across England, nearly ten times the 342 previously recognised by the EA.
The EA encourages people to use Swimfo, its online service providing the latest information on bathing water quality, to make informed decisions about where and when to swim.