The start of the official bathing water season today sees 13 new bathing sites open across England - the designated sites include the first-ever site on the River Thames in London.

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.

The Environment Agency has published the 2025 bathing water classifications for 449 designated bathing sites in England - 87% meet standards for ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ classification, an improvement on 2024.

Southern Water says collaboration between partner agencies to protect and enhance the water quality of its 87 designated bathing waters is reaping its rewards along the region’s 700-mile coastline.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published the 2026 bathing water classifications, which show that the majority of designated bathing waters continue to meet high environmental standards. 97% of bathing waters across Scotland now meet required standards and 82% achieve Good or Excellent classifications.

Environment Agency sampling of bathing waters at Devon and Cornwall's 155 monitored beaches has started and will run through until the end of September. 

A giant countdown clock is on display in Southern Water’s Operational Control Centre – ticking down the days until the start of the Environment Agency’s bathing water season.

The government has set out plans to reform the bathing water regulations, saying that the reforms to modernise bathing waters could see swimmers enjoying cleaner water and flexible seasons.

The government has welcomed the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) review of the implementation of the current Bathing Water Regulations 2013 in England, saying that the OEP recommendations are aligned with the government’s proposed reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. The OEP published its review in November 2024.

Untreated sewage discharges and unpermitted outfalls have caused dangerously high levels of bacteria to be found at multiple sites across a nine-mile stretch of the River Roding, London’s third longest river, a new study by environmental charity Thames21 and The River Roding Trust has found.