Summer flood pollution mars Britain’s beaches

The number of Britain’s beaches given the top rating for water quality fell by record levels this year.

The poor water quality is being blamed on last summer’s floods, which washed raw sewage, animal waste and street debris into the seas around Britain.

Compared to 2007, 10% fewer beaches have been awarded with top quality water levels in the 2008 Good Beach Guide, published by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). This is the worst drop ever in the 21 year history of the guide.

The number of recommended beaches also fell to 443, down from 495 in 2007. 779 beaches are tested every year.

Beaches with water quality in breach of EU regulations more than tripled, from 17 to 51. Swimming or surfing on these beaches is strongly discouraged by the MCS as it may cause stomach or eye infections.

However, despite the decline in water quality, the results are still better than in the year 2,000, largely due to investment in waste water treatment.

The MCS have been keen to stress that water quality is likely to have improved since the test, which were carried out between May and September last year.

Because of this discrepancy, Scotland have been trialling a scheme where water quality is monitored in ‘real time’.

Bathers on 10 beaches in Scotland are able to find out the current water quality on an electronic screen located near the beach.