Water quality declines at popular swimming spots

The quality of bathing water at two North Yorkshire seaside swimming spots has declined, an annual review found.

Samples of water at Scarborough’s North Bay and Robin Hood's Bay showed the standard had dropped from "good" to "sufficient", according to the Environment Agency (EA).

Scarborough's South Bay retained the lowest rating of "poor", while Sandsend, Whitby and Cayton Bay kept their "excellent" ratings.

Mike Dugher, deputy director for the EA in Yorkshire, said an action plan was in place to improve water quality in areas where it was poor.

Scarborough’s South Bay had faced issues with pollution, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But water in the North Bay was rated "excellent" until 2022 and last year the area won Blue Flag status, an international award recognising water quality, safety and cleanliness.

Mr Dugher said while 60% of bathing waters in Yorkshire were rated as "good" or "excellent", drops in quality were "disappointing".

“There is still much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy and action plans are in place for poor and sufficient classifications," he added.

Freddie Drabble, leader of Scarborough environmental campaign group Sons of Neptune, previously said it was "unfair" that the South Bay would continue to have a "poor" rating next year when "significant investment and progress" had been made.

He added: “There is, of course, a lot more to do in Scarborough, but by continuing to work together and pool research we hope further improvements will be delivered.”

Campaigner Steve Crawford, from Surfers Against Sewage, said the review had been "incredibly disappointing".

"We’ve had so many promises from water companies and different agencies to say they’re going to improve it and it seems not to be working," he said.

"We shouldn’t feel threatened by such a beautiful thing we enjoy doing. It shouldn’t be damaging the town and it shouldn’t be damaging people’s health."

Yorkshire Water has completed a £2m project to reduce discharges from a storm overflow into the North Sea at Wheatcroft and further investment is taking place at the Whitby Road Bridge storm overflow near Scalby Beck.

Plans are being considered to change the way bathing water quality is monitored and tested in England and Wales, which will be discussed at North Yorkshire Council’s Scarborough and Whitby area committee hearing on Friday.

The consultation is open until 23 December.

The number of monitored bathing waters in England rated as poor and unfit for swimming has more than doubled, from 18 to 37.

Water minister Emma Hardy said the figures were "unacceptable" and showed that "too many" swimming spots were polluted.

She said: “That’s why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water Bill, which will strengthen regulation including new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against persistent lawbreakers.”

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