Bathing water standards at 71 per cent of beaches in England and Wales were classified excellent by Defra, with the addition of 18 beaches from last year.
This year more than 93 per cent of beaches were classed as excellent or good. The number of beaches classified as good or excellent has risen sharply since the early 1990s when 28 per cent of beaches received the top grade for bathing water.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of Water UK, said: “These results are testament to the ongoing determination of the water and sewerage industry to protect and enhance our precious natural environment. Our bathing waters are better than ever before, providing solid proof that the huge investment by companies is paying off.
“But while these results are excellent, we want to go even further, which is why the sector has made a major commitment to spend a record £5 billion between 2020 and 2025 on environmental improvements, and we’re going to continue getting better results by cutting serious pollution incidents by 90 per cent.”
Water companies with coastal borders carry responsibility for the quality of the water and cleanliness of the beaches. South West Water invested £28 million in its wastewater infrastructure to improve water quality in Plymouth and Cattedown. In the east of England Anglian Water’s BeachCare project encouraged people to pick up more than 2,000 kilos of litter from their local beaches.
In February 2018 the Environment Agency called for harsher penalties for pollution incidents to serve as a deterrent to companies responsible for waterways and beaches. While pollution incidents are markedly down, the EA said there were still too many serious incidents and financial penalties should be higher.