Sandsend in North Yorkshire is newly recommended The number of UK beaches recommended for bathing in the new Good Beach Guide has fallen by almost a sixth owing to last year's heavy rain and floods. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is recommending 370 UK beaches out of 777 tested - a drop of 74 since 2008. This is the biggest annual fall in the guide's 22-year history, and the first time since 2002 that under half of UK bathing beaches are recommended. The MCS said rain had swept pollutants like raw sewage into rivers and sea. The latest bathing water tests were carried out between May and September 2008, coinciding with the seventh wettest British summer on record. We're becoming concerned that the existing infrastructure for handling storm pollution may not be up to the job

Thomas Bell

Marine Conservation Society

Marine Conservation Society - Good Beach Guide 2009 - UK Results [92.6 KB] The number of bathing beaches which failed even the mandatory EC standards for water quality increased by almost half to 78, up from 53 the previous year. "Today's results reflect last summer's heavy rain which swept waterborne pollutants like raw sewage, petro-chemicals and farm waste into rivers and the sea, " said Thomas Bell, MCS coastal pollution officer. "MCS is now recommending 25% fewer beaches than three years ago and we're becoming concerned that the existing infrastructure for handling storm pollution may not be up to the job." Health concerns The MCS is calling for specific counter-pollution measures, such as investment in more sustainable urban drainage systems, new farming practices and expansion of the sewers system to handle storm water. It says this is necessary in the face of changing weather patterns brought on by climate change. Mr Bell warned bathers that to avoid health risks, they should pick places to swim in the sea which had a good water quality record. HAVE YOUR SAY I don't want to say which is my favourite beach because it might become more popular and then it wouldn't have the same beauty and privacy Ali, London, UK People are advised to stay out of the water for at least 24 hours after heavy storms and report pollution problems to the MCS. A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said they were "aware of the effect heavy rain and flooding can have on our coastal bathing waters and are working to improve our sewerage systems". She said: "In April, we announced as part of the draft Flood and Water Management Bill that we will end the automatic right to connect to sewers for surface water drainage and make connection conditional upon meeting new national standards of drainage. "This will result in less water reaching sewerage treatment works and consequently reduce the risk of flooding from overflows and pollution to our beaches."





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