MPs warned of E.coli death risk as bathing season begins and new sites designated

River Action chair Charles Watson warned MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) last week that “someone is going to die” because of the pathogen levels in waters people now swim and play in, but that are not designated bathing waters. He said there is “no safety net to protect the public” and called it “outrageous” that groups like his have been driven to monitor E.coli where they can because no one else is doing it. He called for E.coli monitoring as standard.

The Committee held the session as a follow up to its Water Quality In Rivers inquiry, to check on progress since its recommendations were issued. The meeting took place on the first day of the 2024 bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September.

Just ahead of this, Defra designated 27 new bathing water sites, taking the total number in England to 451. The new bathing waters, which include 12 river designations, will now be subject to Environment Agency quality monitoring.

Water minister Robbie Moore told the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) during a session last week that the Government also plans to consult later this year on proposals to reform the Bathing Water Regulations for England. He listed the following potential changes:

• Extending monitoring beyond the current May-September season.

• Preventing the automatic de-designation of sites rated as inadequate for bathing after five years – on the grounds that some will take longer to improve to good status.

• Extending the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users such as rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders.

• Taking water quality into account before designation; at present, usage is the main driver of which sites are designated. 

Despite these proposed changes, some members of the EAC challenged the minister on the adequacy of the EA’s monitoring and testing regime, including on grounds of when and how frequently water samples are taken and how robust the resulting data is. 

Last year, the EA found 96% of bathing waters in England met the minimum standards, with 90% classified as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, up from 76% in 2010. It said this was despite the classification standards becoming stricter in 2015. 

• Anglian Water last week heralded that the Rutland Water Sykes Lane beach had become the first inland bathing water in England to achieve both a Blue Flag and a Seaside Award, recognising excellent water quality and biodiversity.

• Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) hosted a national day of action on Saturday. There were paddle out protests against sewage pollution in locations across the country. SAS said: “With an upcoming general election happening in the same year water companies are setting out their investment plans, 2024 is the year to turn the tide on the sewage scandal.”