The UK's beaches are cleaner than ever, results suggest

The Marine Conservation Society tested over 800 beaches and recommends 453 of them - 56% - in its 2004 Good Beach Guide, compared with 52% last year.

Beaches were assessed on whether they met EC water standards and were free of inadequately-treated sewage.

The most marked improvement was in Scotland, where 56 beaches were recommended, compared with 33 in 2003.

Regional variation

Better sewage treatment, more effective ways of dealing with run-off water from farms and good weather were cited as reasons for the better scores in Scotland, where 46% of beaches now meet the society's criteria.

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Another much-improved area was north-west England, which had 14 beaches recommended, compared with two in 2003, but 70% of its sites still fell below the required standard.

PERCENTAGE OF TESTED BEACHES RECOMMENDED IN EACH REGION North West: 30% North East: 50% South West: 69% South East: 72% Scotland: 46% Wales: 51% N Ireland: 30%

The number of recommended bathing waters in Northern Ireland doubled from four in 2003 to eight this year.

But that too constituted only 30% of the beaches assessed.

In the South West, 130 beaches - 69% - make the grade, while the South East boasts a 72% success rate, with 100 of its sampled beaches recommended.

Half of the North East's beaches were good enough to attain recommended status.

Wales, meanwhile, dropped three percentage points from last year, with 51% of its sites listed.

The beaches were monitored by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment and Heritage Service.

Public awareness

Assessments of bathing water quality were made between May and September in 2003 for the guide, which is published each year as part of the Marine Conservation Society's Campaign for Clean Seas.

Thomas Bell, the society's Good Beach Guide Officer, told BBC News Online that the campaign served a dual purpose.

"It aims firstly to raise public awareness of water quality and secondly to turn the spotlight on good and bad beaches in order to drive up standards."

Mr Bell said the society had lobbied MEPs to push through a revised version of the 1976 EC Bathing Water Directive, which sets out water quality requirements across the EU.

"We want the EC directive to be updated to include more stringent criteria for assessing water quality and to provide more information for the public," he said.

"There should be clearer definitions of water quality and more advice on beaches that fail the lowest standards."

BEACH GUIDE - BY REGION
	Tested	Recommended	Failed
Scotland	123	56	8
Wales	189	97	7
Channel Islands	25	13	0
Northern Ireland	27	8	0
Isle of Man	16	1	6
England total	428	278	6
SW England	188	130	2
SE England	139	100	0
NE England	67	34	3
NW England	34	14	1
UK total	808	453 (56%)	26
Source: MCS

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