Defra

Bathing waters

The Bathing Water Directive sets the microbial standards for water quality at popular beaches and inland bathing sites that have been designated as bathing waters because they attract large numbers of bathers.  We report annually on the water quality results and if a bathing water does not meet the minimum standards set by the Directive, the Environment Agency investigates the sources of pollution and recommends remedial measures.

We are in the process of implementing the revised Bathing Water Directive, which will introduce higher standards to aim for and has a requirement for public information about water quality to be available at all bathing waters.

The case for government action

The main objective of the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC, revised by Directive 2006/7/EC) is to protect public health and the environment from faecal pollution at bathing waters. Member States are required to identify popular bathing areas and to monitor water quality there throughout the bathing season, which in England runs from mid May to the end of September.

The Bathing Water Directives are administered in England by Defra and in the rest of the UK by the relevant Devolved Administration.  Bathing water enquiries in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be directed to the Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Department of Environment Northern Ireland respectively.

The Directive is implemented in the UK by the following regulatory authorities:

To keep everyone who is interested in or affected by our work informed of its progress, we issue a Bathing Water Newsletter, read the latest – July 2011 (PDF 410 KB).

Latest news

Impact of Waste Water Treatments on Removal of Noroviruses from Sewage

Defra Water Quality commissioned a study to look at the efficacy of different waste water treatments in reducing norovirus levels in treated sewage effluent. The study also Investigated the relationship between removal of Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIOs) and attenuation of norovirus across the various types of treatment process and the potential to use FIOs as a tool for monitoring norovirus.

Bathing water Combined Sewer Overflow warning trials

50 beaches took part in a trial during the summer of 2011 to provide beach users with warnings when combined sewer overflow (CSO) spills have occurred, potentially impacting on bathing water quality. The trials aimed to provide ‘real time’ information about short-term pollution caused by heavy rainfall to help the public to make informed decisions about whether to bathe.

  • Our survey into beach visitors’ views on the trials is now closed and a summary of the responses (PDF) is available.

The current situation

Research into bathing water and human health since the original Directive’s introduction in 1976 has led to the development of the revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC), which will be implemented in stages between now and 2015, when the original Directive will be repealed.  The revised Directive uses two parameters to assess water quality, Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci, using a four year data set for each set of results, and sets much tighter standards than the original Directive.

There will be four classification categories: Excellent (approximately twice as stringent as the current Guideline standard); Good (similar to the current Guideline); Sufficient (approximately twice as stringent as the current Mandatory standard) and Poor, for waters which do not comply with the Directive’s standards.

There will be a new requirement for information about water quality and potential sources of pollution at bathing waters to be provided on signs and via the internet.  Regular reviews of the list of bathing waters will be carried out and the public will be encouraged to participate in the review.

Key dates for the introduction of the revised Directive are:

  • 2012: Signs must be in place at all bathing waters by the beginning of the bathing season. The Environment Agency will begin monitoring using the parameters of the revised Directive
  • 2014: Final bathing water report using the standards of the current Directive
  • 2015: First set of classifications using the new parameters will be published, based on the data set commenced in 2012
  • 2016: The current bathing water classification will be displayed using standard symbols that will be in use throughout the European Union.

The symbols can be seen on the European Commission’s Europa website.

The Cleaner Seas Forum has been established to help drive further improvements to bathing and shellfish water quality and to consider the provision of information to the public at bathing waters.  It brings together organisations representing bathing water users and controllers, water companies, farmers, the shellfish and tourist industries and government to work together to achieve improvements to water quality and public information. Minutes from the Forum’s meetings in October 2010 and November 2011 are available on request, by emailing: bathingwater@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Relevant legislation and regulations

The texts of both Directives and the transposing Regulations are available here:

Also forming part of the transposing legislation is the Bathing Waters (England) Notice 2008, issued by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 September 2008. It revokes the notices given under section 83 (1) of the Water Resources Act 1991 and under paragraph 3(1)(a) of Schedule 1 to the Bathing Waters (Classification) Regulations 1991 on 5 May 1992, 14 February 1997 and 13 June 2003.

Key publications and documents

Page last modified: 27 April 2012