Monday 18:16
A record 98.8% of England's bathing waters comply with the European bathing water quality standards for 2003, Environment Minister, Elliot Morley, announced today. From a total of 411 English coastal and freshwater bathing areas, 406 passed the EC Bathing Water Directive's main mandatory tests.
But further water quality improvements are still required if England and the UK are to meet the more stringent mandatory water quality standards included in a European Commission proposal to update the Bathing Water Directive and also the requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive. This will require action by farmers as well as the water industry.
Mr Morley said: "I am pleased to announce another record season for bathing water quality in England and the UK. Despite this being the sixth consecutive year of improvement, we must maintain our good efforts if further water quality improvements are to be achieved. We must continue to place a greater emphasis on tackling all sources of diffuse pollution, especially livestock and fertilizer from agricultural land, that impact on bathing water quality. The particularly dry summer this year has helped to minimise the impact of diffuse pollution flushing through our river catchments out to sea. However, we cannot continue to let our bathing water quality be influenced by the weather in some areas so it is important to address this particular issue".
Bathing water quality in England has improved significantly in recent years. This year's results compare with a mandatory compliance rate of 90% in 1999 and 98.5% in 2002. English regional compliance is 100% in the Anglian, Thames and Southern regions, 99% in the South West, 97% in the North West and 96% in the North East. Results for the UK were also the best to date at 98.4%, up from 98% in 2002. Further improvements have also been made in compliance with the guideline water quality standards set out in the Bathing Water Directive which are more stringent than the main mandatory tests.
Ongoing investment totalling £600 million in England and Wales committed up to 2005 is aimed at achieving further improvements in bathing water quality, largely to meet the guideline standards, and is targeted at over 100 sewage treatment works and several hundred storm overflows. Further investment is also being planned for 2005-2010.
Notes to Editors 1The main results for the North East are summarised below; detail of full UK results is available from GNN if required. Details of the results for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published by the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland, respectively. They are also available on the Internet sites of the Environment Agency (for England and Wales), Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service (for Northern Ireland). A report with more detailed results for the UK will be available in the New Year.
2he comparative figures for hhhhhh The European Commission will not publish the 2003 results for other EU Member States until May 2004. The UK performance of 98.4% mandatory compliance at coastal bathing waters in 2003 compares with the average EU mandatory compliance figures of 95.8% at coastal waters in 2002.
3Compliance with the Bathing Water Directive has been assessed on the basis of the parameters: total coliforms, faecal coliforms, mineral oils, surface-active substances and phenols. These are indicators of contamination from sewage and other sources and the Directive sets mandatory values to be achieved by 95 per cent of samples (19 of the 20 samples taken during the bathing season in the UK). These parameters are the usual basis for compliance assessment in the EU and have been used by the European Commission to rank Member States' performance. The number of samples (normally out of 20) failing to meet the Directive's standard for faecal coliform bacteria is shown for each failed bathing water.
4The Directive also sets tighter "guideline" standards, which Member States shall, within the terms of the Directive, "endeavour to observe". Compliance with the EC Directive's "guideline" standard is assessed by the Commission in accordance with the tighter limits for total and faecal coliforms. In 2003, 82% of bathing waters in England met this standard, compared with 76% in 2002. For Blue Flags, water quality is assessed, additionally, on the Directive's guideline limit for faecal streptococci. Bathing waters, which achieved Blue Flag water quality in 2002, are indicated by "G" in the tables attached. In 2003, 73.5% of bathing waters in England met this even more stringent standard, compared with 70% in 2002.
5The results for inland bathing waters are also shown. There are a total of 11 in the UK, 9 in England and 2 in Scotland.
6 The EC Commission's proposal for a new Directive was published in October 2002. It is currently subject to detailed negotiation amongst Member States and the European Parliament though it will be several years before the current Directive, which dates from 1976, is replaced. The proposal sets out an obligation to meet a tighter minimum bathing water quality standard than under the existing Directive. This standard is approximately equivalent to the Guideline standard in the current Directive.
7Any questions relating to compliance in the constituent countries in the UK should be directed to the devolved administrations or DOE, Northern Ireland.
2003 RESULTS FOR ENGLAND, WALES, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND Compliance with Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC)
Coastal Bathing Waters (Environment Agency - English Operational Regions)
Pass Fail Total Compliance % North East 53 (55) 2 (1) 55 (56) 96.4 (98.2) Anglian 38 (38) 0 (0) 38 (38) 100 (100) Thames 8 (5) 0 (0) 8 (5) 100 (100) Southern 79 (78) 0 (1) 79 (79) 100 (98.7) South West 186 (183) 2 (3) 188 (186) 98.9 (98.4) North West 33 (33) 1 (1) 34 (34) 97.1 (97.1) England 397 (392) 5 (6) 402 (398) 98.8 (98.5) Wales 77 (75) 1 (0) 78 (75) 98.7 (100) Scotland 55 (53) 3 (5) 58 (58) 94.8 (91.4) Northern Ireland 16 (15) 0 (1) 16 (16) 100 (93.8) UK COASTAL WATERS 545 (535) 9 (12) 554 (547) 98.4 (97.8)
Inland Bathing Waters (Environment Agency - English Operational Regions)
Pass Fail Total Compliance % Thames 6 (6) 0 (0) 6 (6) 100 (100) North West 3 (3) 0 (0) 3 (3) 100 (100) England 9 (9) 0 (0) 9 (9) 100 (100) Scotland 2 (2) 0 (0) 2 (2) 100 (100) UK INLAND WATERS 11 (11) 0 (0) 11 (11) 100 (100)
* Results for 2002 are in brackets * Coastal bathing waters new to this season are Leigh Bell Wharf, Chalkwell Beach and Jubilee Beach in the Thames Region, England. Coastal bathing waters closed throughout the bathing season for health and safety reasons relating to erosion were Redgate, Dartmouth Castle and Sugary Cove, and Gunwalloe Cove in the South West Region, England. These waters are not included in the 2003 compliance assessment.
Bathing Waters Compliance Report Coastal Bathing Waters 20032002 North East Spittal PassPass Bamburgh Castle Pass (G)Pass (G) Seahouses North Pass (G)Pass (G) Beadnell Pass (G)Pass (G) Low Newton Pass (G)Pass (G) Warkworth Pass (G)Pass (G) Amble Links Pass (G)Pass (G) Druridge Bay PassPass (G) Newbiggin North PassPass Newbiggin South Pass (G)Pass (G) Blyth South Beach Pass (G)Pass Seaton Sluice Pass (G)Pass Whitley Bay Pass (G)Pass Tynemouth Cullercoats Pass (G)Pass (G) Tynemouth Long Sands North Pass (G)Pass (G) Tynemouth Long Sands South Pass (G)Pass (G) Tynemouth King Edwards Bay Pass (G)Pass (G) South Shields Pass (G)Pass (G) Marsden Pass (G)Pass (G) Whitburn North Pass (G)Pass (G) Roker/ Whitburn South Pass (G)Pass (G) Seaham Beach Pass (G)Pass Seaham Hall Beach (Remand Home) Pass (G)Pass (G) Crimdon PassFail (0) (2) Seaton Carew North PassPass (G) Seaton Carew Centre PassPass Seaton Carew North Gare Pass (G)Pass (G) Redcar Coatham Pass (G)Pass (G) Redcar Lifeboat Station PassPass Redcar Granville PassPass Redcar Stray PassPass Bathing Waters Compliance Report 20032002 Sea at Marske Sands PassPass (G) Saltburn Pass (G)Pass (G) Staithes Fail (1) (2)Pass Runswick Bay PassPass (G) Sandsend Pass (G)Pass (G) Whitby Pass (G)Pass (G) Robin Hoods Bay PassPass Scarborough North Bay Pass (G)Pass (G) Scarborough South Bay PassPass Cayton Bay PassPass (G) Filey Pass (G)Pass Reighton Pass (G)Pass (G) Flamborough North Landing Fail (0) (2)Pass Flamborough South Landing Pass (G)Pass (G) Danes Dyke, Flamborough Pass (G)Pass (G) Bridlington North Beach Pass (G)Pass (G) Bridlington South Beach PassPass Wilsthorpe Pass (G)Pass (G) Fraisthorpe Pass (G)Pass Earls Dyke Pass (G) Barmston Pass (G)Pass (G) Skipsea PassPass Hornsea Pass (G)Pass Tunstall Pass (G)Pass Withernsea PassPass (G)
Key Pass: Indicates that the bathing water achieved the mandatory standard (for total and faecal coliforms and three physico-chemical parameters). Pass (G): Indicates that the bathing water additionally achieved the more stringent guideline standard (for total and faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci), necessary for a Blue Flag. Fail (-): The number in brackets indicates the number of failing coliform samples - (1 failure in 20 samples is a "pass" under the rules for assessing compliance).
* Indicates Abnormal Weather Waiver, applied under the Directive, where it affects mandatory or guideline compliance
**** Indicates newly identified bathing water for the 2003 bathing season.
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