Defra consults on four new bathing waters while rejecting other applications

Defra is consulting until 24 March on the designation of four new bathing waters.

Two are on the reservoir Rutland Water: Sykes Lane Bathing Beach and Whitwell Creek. The third, Firestone Bay in Plymouth, Devon, is coastal. The final one is on a river: the River Deben in Waldringfield, Suffolk.

Designation will lead to Environment Agency sampling during the bathing season, which runs from 15 May ago 30 September.

Campaigners have criticised the rejection of a reported eight other applications for bathing rivers.

Defra said when selecting sites, it considers how many people bathe there, if the site has suitable infrastructure and facilities, such as toilets, and where investment in water quality improvements following designation would have the most impact. Only applications that meet these factors are taken forward to consultation.

In a separate consultation, Defra is considering de-designating Tunstall Beach as a bathing site. It said accessibility issues caused by cliff erosion have resulted in low user numbers for bathing and have made it infeasible for the Environment Agency to carry out sampling at the site.

As of 2022, there are 421 designated bathing waters in England (407 coastal, 12 lakes, two rivers).