Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered on 22 November 2007.
Bill Wiggin
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons each of the 20 coastal bathing sites which did not meet minimum bathing water standards in summer 2007 did not meet those standards; and if he will make a statement.
Phil Woolas
Minister of State (Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
My Department holds information on nine of the 20 bathing waters in the UK which failed to meet the minimum standards during the 2007 bathing season.
The reasons for failure at these nine sites are set out in the following table. These were mainly a combination of sewage pollution and/or diffuse water pollution from agriculture.
In addition, eight of these nine failures were affected by exceptionally heavy or persistent rainfall, as this summer was the wettest since records began.
| Region | Bathing Water | Main reason(s) for failure | Affected by rainfall |
| North East | Runswick Bay | Agricultural and sewage pollution | Yes |
| Sandsend | Agricultural pollution | Yes | |
| Staithes | Agricultural pollution | Yes | |
| North West | Aldingham | Sewage pollution | Yes |
| Morecambe South | Agricultural pollution | Yes | |
| St. Annes | Agricultural and sewage pollution | Yes | |
| South West | Bude Summerleaze | Agricultural and sewage pollution | No |
| Instow | Agricultural pollution | Yes | |
| Mothecombe | Agricultural and sewage pollution | Yes |
Information on bathing water failures in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is held by the relevant devolved administrations.
Yes0 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.
