Crackdown in water sewage pollution around UK coastline. This gives surfers are set to be the big winners in plans to crackdown on the pollution of official water bathing spots and provide year round protection.
Crackdown in water sewage pollution around UK
The consultation follows a crackdown on the water industry after a series of high profile cases of sewage being dumped into Britain’s waterways around the country including iconic sites like Lake Windermere.
Bathing waters are officially designated outdoor swimming sites. England and Wales have over 550 designated bathing waters, which are monitored by the UK Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.
Annual ratings classify each site as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’ on the basis of water quality.
Ministers have today launched a consultation into England and Wales’ more than 550 official water bathing sites with a plan to increase the number to include areas popular for surfing.
Currently, the sites on the coast and on British rivers and lakes are only protected for the summer months and there are long standing concerns that they are becoming polluted at other times of the year.
Winter surfers biggest winners
Winter surfers biggest winners as 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.
In the 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.