The UK has come second from last in the European Environment Agency’s annual league table which ranks European Union countries on their bathing quarter quality.

 The highest rates of bathing waters with poor quality have been found in Ireland (6 bathing waters or 4 %), the United Kingdom (20 bathing waters or 3 %), and Slovakia (one bathing water or 3 %), according to the EEA’s annual survey released today.

While 96.4% of British beaches were found safe to swim in 2016, the report shows that 20 sites failed the assessment.

The highest number of bathing sites with ‘poor' water quality were found in Italy (100 bathing water sites or 1.8%), France (82 sites or 2.4%) and Spain (39 sites or 1.8%)

The UK individual country report says that the water industry is continuing to implement solutions to meet the requirements of the Bathing Water Directive and that plans for the 2015-2020 AMP6 period will see considerable investment to improve and protect over 50 waters.

The 2015-20 programme of funded enhancements includes some projects to take bathing waters beyond the minimum requirements of the Bathing Water Directive to ensure that water industry assets do not prevent a bathing water from obtaining Excellent classification.

During 2015-16 bathing water improvement schemes were completed at 16 sites by six water companies. In addition, water companies installed event duration monitors at approximately 200 combined sewer overflows, storm tanks and pumping stations that impact on bathing waters that are classified either as poor or at risk of a Poor classification or deterioration.

Yorkshire Water also completed work on a prediction system for short term microbiological pollution of designated bathing waters and Northumbrian Water carried out an asset impact assessment at Spittal.

The report says that tackling diffuse water pollution from agriculture is a major part of UK water quality policy and a key element of achieving the objectives of the Bathing Water Directive and Water Framework Directive.

The major sources of pollution are sewage and water draining from farms and farmland. Such pollution increases during heavy rains and floods due to sewage overflow and polluted drainage water being washed into rivers and seas.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is also highlighted as an important delivery mechanism in England to reduce agricultural pollution. From 2015 the CSF capital grant scheme has been integrated into the Countryside Stewardship agri-environment scheme with funding targeted towards high priority areas for water where multiple Water Framework Directive objectives (including those for Protected Areas like bathing waters) are not being met due to agriculture.

Overall, the report from the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) confirms a positive 40-year trend of increasingly cleaner water at beaches and swimming spots across Europe.

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said:

 'It is encouraging to see that more and more bathing water sites across Europe are meeting the highest quality standards. This helps Europeans make better informed choices about the bathing sites they plan to visit this summer. It also shows the effectiveness of our environmental policies and the practical benefits to human health protection and our daily lives when excellent data collection and analysis are conducted.'

Click here to download European Bathing Water Quality in 2016

Click here to download UK Bathing Water Quality in 2016