Anglian Water is reporting its best set of results since new bathing water regulations came into effect in 2015, climbing from 90 per cent ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ ratings in 2024 to 96.3 per cent this year.

Beaches and inland swimming spots in the East of England have been given top marks for water quality, with a record 96.3 per cent of the region’s designated bathing waters being rated ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ by the Environment Agency.

The water company says this means that the East of England has the cleanest bathing waters in the country.

Anglian Water’s region has an extensive coastline, stretching from the Humber Bank in the north to the Thames Estuary in the south, with today’s announcement confirming the East of England’s reputation as home to some of the UK’s cleanest bathing waters. 98 per cent of these coastal bathing water spots in the water company’s region are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, including 100 per cent of beaches in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Essex and North Norfolk.

An increased national focus on river water quality over recent years has also led the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to designate six new bathing waters in the East of England since 2023, all inland.

These include:

• River Deben Estuary in Suffolk
• Sudbury, on the River Stour in Suffolk
• Manningtree, on the River Stour in Suffolk
• Sheep’s Green, on the River Cam in Cambridgeshire
• Sykes Lane, at Anglian Water’s Rutland Water reservoir
• Whitwell Creek, at Anglian Water’s Rutland Water reservoir

Many factors outside water company operations – including agriculture, tides and ecological factors such as algal blooms – can impact bathing water quality on the coast. Similarly, inland bathing water sites can often be impacted by lack of dilution, agricultural activity and road runoff, among other factors.

83 per cent of inland bathing waters in Anglian Water’s region are now rated ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, up from 67 per cent in 2024. This includes two ‘Excellent’ sites at the company’s Rutland Water reservoir. Since 2024, the site’s Sykes Lane beach has also been the only inland bathing water in England to hold the prestigious Blue Flag, Green Flag and Seaside Awards simultaneously.

The announcement, following the end of the May-September bathing season, comes after Anglian Water announced in May that it would be ringfencing more than £80 million of investment to improve bathing water quality across its region between now and 2030.

Dr Robin Price, Director of Environment, Quality and Assurance for Anglian Water, said:

"As a region with a long coastline, we take pride in having some of the country’s top-rated beaches and swimming spots here in the East of England – particularly this year, which has seen the best ever results. We know that our coast is hugely important to our customers, as well as being a vital part of our tourism economy. That’s why we’re really proud that 100 per cent of designated bathing waters in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Essex and North Norfolk are rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’. But we’re still striving for even better. There are lots of factors that can impact bathing water quality – not just our operations, but also agriculture, other industries, and local wildlife too. But we know we have an important role to play in supporting tourism and enjoyment of our region’s coastline, and we’re committed to working with other agencies to continue to improve our region’s bathing spots. That’s why we’ve already kicked off a £31.3 million investment programme to protect and improve our region’s bathing waters between now and the end of the decade."

Investing to reduce spills and improve bathing waters

Since May, planning work has got underway on more than £30 million into storm spill reduction schemes in Cleethorpes, Mundesley, Hunstanton and Southend, which will be completed by 2027. This will include work to build storm tanks, reduce flows into the sewer network, and optimise existing network capacity. Increasing storage capacity and reducing the amount of water entering the sewer network will relieve pressure on treatment works, meaning sites will be better equipped to manage increasingly frequent extreme weather without discharging from storm overflows. 

Further investment, also currently in planning, includes Intensive investigations at bathing waters with specific studies to identify potential sources of poor water quality at some of the region’s bathing spots. This work will be supported by a further potential £56 million of additional funding from 2027, which will be put into schemes to protect and enhance water quality.

Initial work will include extensive, holistic investigations to identify factors impacting bathing water quality and what investment is needed to improve water quality at each spot. Anglian Water will carry out studies at its inland bathing spots in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, as well as all six designated bathing water spots in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Each study is set to finish by 2027, allowing time for Anglian Water to begin work on any investment needed by the end of the decade. 

Dr Price added:

"A potential further £56 million of funding will be unlocked depending on the results of our initial investigations, which is why inland bathing water designation is critical to then releasing funding for improvements.