Our goal is 100% compliance with European bathing water standards, and it is clear that we still have some way to go

Tom Inglis, Sepa head of policy

Mr Finnie said there would be a "huge programme" of work involved to make the necessary improvements.

In all, the agency took samples from 60 beaches across the country and found that 51 met mandatory European standards.

However, that is the same number as last year despite more money being invested by the executive.

Ministers have said that more progress needs to be made on improving the way Scotland deals with its water and sewage if all of the country's beaches are to satisfy the criteria.

Tom Inglis, Sepa head of policy, revealed that while sewage remained the most significant cause of poor bathing water quality, run-off from farmland could also pose pollution risks.

Mr Inglis called for a strengthening of links between the agency and the farming community.

'Quality problems'

He said: "Our goal is 100% compliance with European bathing water standards, and it is clear that we still have some way to go.

"Considerable sums of money have been spent in upgrading sewerage and sewage treatment and these have resulted in coastal water quality improvements throughout the country.

"Thus, several beaches, particularly Portobello (West), Eyemouth and Rockcliffe, which failed to meet the required standards last year and have since been subject to improvements works, were satisfactory this year.

"Unfortunately, other water quality problems remain. Some only became apparent this year, but all are being vigorously tackled to ensure water quality improvements are achieved.

Ross Finnie: Identified "major difficulties"

"The south-west of Scotland is dominated by livestock farming and also experiences heavier rainfall. The contribution of diffuse sources of pollution to bathing water failures, both rural and urban, is being investigated.

"In the meantime, Sepa is keen to ensure that particular care is taken by farmers in such areas to collect, store and spread livestock slurries and animal manures with care.

"Our dialogue with the water authorities and the Scottish Executive will continue to ensure that sewerage investment will deliver the targeted improvements required to ensure future compliance."

Mr Finnie said Scots were already seeing the benefits of the first stage of investments - totalling �3.5bn over a seven-year period - by the water authorities.

"We are already seeing the benefits of this investment, for example at St Andrews and Nairn, and it will bring substantial improvement to the Scottish coastline in the future," the minister said.

"However, as our programme of significant investment progresses, it is allowing us to identify other causes of bathing water failure.

The Scottish Executive is going to have to work much harder

Dr Richard Dixon

"It is clear that major difficulties arise from dull, wet weather conditions favourable to bacteria that are washed into the bathing waters.

"These conditions are unfortunately common in the west, where, despite our investment programme, we continue to have difficulties.

"We are therefore devoting effort and expenditure to tackling the intractable problem of the pollution of our bathing waters from a range of diffuse sources."

Dr Richard Dixon of Friends of the Earth Scotland said the executive would have to work much harder to improve the situation.

"It is bitterly disappointing that again beaches have failed, and still most beaches fail to reach the top water quality standard set by Europe 25 years ago," he said.

"These results keep us firmly at the bottom of the European bathing water league and show that there is still an awful lot to do to bring our beaches up to scratch.

"The Scottish Executive is going to have to work much harder if it is going to deliver on its promises of clean water and avoid a serious embarrassment in the European courts."