The number of monitored bathing waters in England rated as poor and unfit for swimming has more than doubled, from 18 to 37. Out of the 450 sites regularly tested this summer for bacteria related to sewage discharges, 92% reached the minimum standards for bathing, a slight fall from 96% last year. The Environment Agency says those figures are in part due to 27 new sites being monitored this year, of which 18 were rated poor. The government called the latest figures “unacceptable”. Water minister Emma Hardy blamed England’s water companies and said it underlined the need for tougher regulation. Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said the results came against a background of increasing demand for bathing sites across the country. 95% of coastal waters met minimum standards this year, compared to only 53% of rivers and lakes. The Environment Agency says that’s because salt water can act as a natural disinfectant and the sea naturally disperses pollutants faster. There has been mounting criticism of England’s bathing water quality in recent years, as more data has become available. River Action CEO James Wallace called the latest results an “international embarrassment”.
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