Guidance

Water quality information at swimming beaches and lakes

Updated 2 March 2018

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page has been replaced by a newer version. Go to Bathing water information and signage rules for local councils for the latest information.

© Crown copyright 2018

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-quality-information-at-swimming-beaches-and-lakes-eu-regulations/water-quality-information-at-swimming-beaches-and-lakes

This guidance is for local councils. You must display information at ‘designated bathing waters’.

These are areas:

  • where the Secretary of State has designated a site because a large number of people bathe there
  • where the Environment Agency tests the water every year
  • that are listed in the Bathing Water Regulations

Display information

You must provide information during the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September.

The sign must show:

  • the symbol for the current classification
  • a general description of the bathing water
  • a website address where people can get more information about water quality, for example the data explorer website

You can get the text for the description of the bathing water from the Environment Agency’s signage generator. The generator uses information from the national database of bathing water profiles. You can also access a template for a sign through the individual bathing water profile pages.

You can adapt the text to fit the sign, as long as you include all essential information.

Pollution events

You must display additional information about any ‘abnormal situations’ that affect designated bathing waters, for example a breakdown at a sewage pumping station or a slurry spill.

The Bathing Water Regulations (S.I.2013/1675) describe an “abnormal situation” as “an event or combination of events impacting on bathing water quality at the location concerned and not expected to occur on average more than once every 4 years”.

If pollution counts as an abnormal situation, the Environment Agency will tell you. The Environment Agency will provide information on the nature of the problem and how long it’s expected to last.

If pollution could affect people swimming or paddling, you must display information on the nature of the problem and how long it’s expected to last.

You must display information about how many days bathing the Environment Agency advised against during the last bathing season. You’ll have this information if the council takes part in the Environment Agency’s pollution risk forecasting system.

Classification system

There’s a classification system for bathing waters. Bathing waters are classified as:

If you can’t open Adobe Illustrator files you can download a zip file of the images in PNG format.

Each classification has a symbol that councils must put on their signs. The classifications are based on sampling data taken over 4 years.

‘Poor’ bathing waters

If a bathing water is classified as ‘poor’, you must display an ‘advice against bathing’ symbol. You must also display information on the causes of pollution and measures to clean it up.

Download the Adobe Illustrator image for ‘advice against bathing’.

Classification symbols

The symbols for different bathing water classifications and advising against bathing are below.

Classification signs for bathing water quality

Bathing water quality widget

You can use the bathing water quality widget to show up-to-date bathing water quality information on your website.

Contacts

Contact the Environment Agency

Telephone: 03708 506 506

Minicom: 03702 422 549

Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Address: National Customer Contact Centre, PO Box 544, Rotherham, S60 1BY

Contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Telephone: 08459 33 55 77

Text phone: 0845 300 1998

Email: defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk or bathingwater@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Customer Contact Unit
7th Floor
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

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