The European Commission, which imposes the bathing water directive, has introduced a tougher rating system which comes into force this year, with the ratings or poor, sufficient, good, and excellent.
However, the Commission is considering removing the sufficient group after 2020, which the EA states could result in up to 60 more of the UKs 417 bathing water areas being at risk of failure.
Under the system being introduced this year, the EA estimates that 80 per cent of England’s beaches are expected to be rated as either good or excellent, with only 25 at risk of being poor when the first classifications are made in the autumn of 2015.
Speaking at a board meeting on Thursday morning, attended by Utility Week, EA executive director of environment and business Ed Mitchell warned that the impact of the incoming tougher standards presents a “risk” to public confidence.
He said: “Issues will arise when beaches are compliant today but are not tomorrow, even though the quality of the water has improved.
“The improvements will be carrying on and we need to get that message across.”
The 2014 bathing water results showed that 99.5 per cent of English beaches met the minimum bathing water quality standards, up from only 65 per cent in 1988.
Much of these improvements were due to £6 billion invested by the water companies to improve their combined sewers and to develop new sewage treatment works.
This investment programme continues for the period 2015-2020, with more than 300 improvement schemes, mainly to reduce combined sewer overflow discharges, included in water company business plans.
South West Water has recently completed a £4.9 million project to create two new underground water storage tanks, which will help to reduce the number of storm discharges of untreated sewage during periods of extremely wet weather.