2013 Good Beach Guide reveals that sea bathing water quality in 2012 was “weather affected”
One of the UK’s wettest summers on record has led to a worrying drop in the number of beaches around the country being recommended for their excellent bathing water quality in the annual ‘Good Beach Guide’, published online by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
MCS has recommended only 403 of the 754 UK bathing beaches tested in 2012 as having excellent water quality. That’s just over half, and 113 fewer beaches than were recommended last year.
Even more concerning is that 42 beaches (5.6%) failed to meet even a minimum European standard, or equivalent, for bathing water quality – 17 more than in last year’s Guide. Relentless rain and flooding in many parts of the country led to an increase in the amount of bacteria and viruses ending up in our bathing waters.
To see The 2013 Good Beach Guide, go to www.goodbeachguide.co.uk
Source, CMS, 2nd April 2013
