Higher standards will be in place by 2015

Tests showed 100% of the beaches met minimum EU mandatory regulations, compared to 99.5% last year.

South West Water (SWW) said it was a result of its �1.5bn Clean Sweep programme to improve sewage treatment.

Pressure group Surfers Against Sewage, (SAS) welcomed the results but said there was no room for complacency as standards were set to become tougher.

'Health risk'

From 2015 EU countries have to ensure their beaches meet at least the "sufficient" standard, which is a step up for the existing mandatory level.

The new tests will reduce the contaminants from 19 to two - E.coli and enterococci - which are the most common causes of infections.

The new "sufficient" standard will mean that the risk of someone becoming ill with an ear infection or stomach upset must not exceed 8%.

EU commissioned research found there was currently a 12-15% risk of contracting gastroenteritis from entering the water.

The next step is for the good work to carry on so that these high standards are maintained in the years to come Geoff Boyd, Environment Agency

SAS campaign director Richard Hardy said: "The 100% compliance on the mandatory standards still represents a health risk from World Health Experts - the 12-15% risk of contracting gastro-enteritis still concerns us.

"We are going to have to work a little bit harder."

Dr Stephen Bird of SWW said the aim of new standards was to halve that risk.

"Those are the levels that the health experts have set us as a challenge and we are determined to achieve those and beat them when we possibly can."

Figures published by Defra on Thursday found 100% of Cornwall's bathing waters achieved mandatory compliance and 96.2% guideline compliance, an improvement on 2005.

In Devon, 100% of the bathing waters achieved mandatory compliance and 86.4% guideline compliance, an improvement on 2005.