Bathing water reforms to consider water sports and water quality

Changes to bathing water rules will prioritise public safety and water quality so more people can enjoy our rivers, lakes and seas throughout the seasons in the first shake up since 2013.

Bathing waters are officially designated outdoor swimming sites. England and Wales have over 550 designated bathing waters, which are monitored by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Annual ratings classify each site as ‘excellent', ‘good', ‘sufficient' or ‘poor' on the basis of water quality.

In a consultation launched today (12 November), Defra and the Welsh Government are inviting the public, community groups, environmental groups, farmers, businesses and local authorities to share their views on modernising bathing water regulations to ensure a more flexible approach to designation and monitoring.

The proposed changes, which will benefit cold water swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts, include:

• Removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs from May to September) from the regulations to allow for a more flexible approach to monitoring, extending the dates of the bathing season to better reflect when people use bathing waters.
• Expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers' to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers.
• Further considering water quality and public safety when applications for new bathing waters are assessed.
• Introducing multiple testing points at bathing water sites.
• Ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after 5 consecutive years of a site being rated ‘poor', which can damage local tourism and businesses. Instead, underperforming sites will be individually reviewed by regulators, taking into account their unique circumstances.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

Bathing water sites are the pride of local communities across the country.

But the current system is not working for all those who use and enjoy our bathing waters, and reform is long overdue. 

That is why this Government will give more people the opportunity to experience the benefits of our beautiful waters and connect with nature.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust said:

We welcome these proposed reforms to the Bathing Water rules, several of which we and other NGOs have been requesting for some time.

Our rivers, lakes and beaches are a fantastic natural resource which should be available for people to enjoy confidently for their mental and physical wellbeing as well as providing opportunities for economic growth.

We are particularly pleased to see the ending of automatic de-designation for waters which failed to meet standards after 5 years – the focus must be on driving improvements in our natural environment and not giving up when it gets hard.

We will be urging Ministers to make the new system more transparent and to include a wider range of pollutants that can cause risks to public health. We hope that applications for new designations can open again in the Spring without any further delay.

Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment at Paddle UK, on behalf of the Clean Water Sports Alliance said:

Access to clean, healthy, nature-rich blue spaces is crucial to the health and wellbeing of millions of people around the UK. 

We are a water sports nation, however, as a result of the sewage scandal, the public have become increasingly fearful of getting sick, doing the activity they love.

Paddle UK and the 10 other National Governing Bodies of watersports that make up the Clean Water Sports Alliance, welcome the announcement that bathing waters rules are to be consulted on and brought up to date with new reforms.

The 6 week consultation will be an important opportunity for the voices of recreational users to be heard. We encourage as many people to feed into the process as possible”.

Gail Davies-Walsh, CEO of Afonydd Cymru, said:

Afonydd Cymru welcomes this consultation and support any resulting measures that improve the ecological health of rivers and the safety of recreational users.

The review will need to give consideration to the extent that the current designation for Bathing Water, primarily designed for coastal waters, meets the different needs of our rivers including microbiological quality, levels of other potentially harmful pollutants, monitoring, public safety and damage or disturbance to flora and fauna, particularly for designated rivers.

We look forward to engagement with the Consultation to ensure these matters are considered for Wales.

Chris Coode, CEO of Thames21, said:

We welcome the government's announcement to reform the Bathing Water Regulations.  This is a crucial step towards improving water quality and the health of our rivers, especially in the areas we cover across London and the Thames Basin.

Extending the dates of the bathing season and having a flexible approach to monitoring will generate valuable data, helping people to decide on whether they want to use their local river on any given day. We are also pleased with the government's proposals to broaden the legal definition of ‘bathers' to include other water lovers, not just swimmers. 

We look forward to playing our part in this consultation by contributing evidence alongside other key stakeholders. Additionally, we hope that the government will recognise the work of countless communities, groups and volunteers who have applied or plan to apply for bathing water designation and hope that the shortcomings of the bathing water application process are resolved.