Official Statistics

2025 Statistics on English coastal and inland bathing waters: A summary of compliance with the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025

Updated 25 November 2025

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/bathing-water-quality-statistics/2025-statistics-on-english-coastal-and-inland-bathing-waters-a-summary-of-compliance-with-the-bathing-water-amendment-england-and-wales-regulatio

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Seacole House, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF

Public enquiries (phone): 08459 335577 Public enquiries (email): FandWStatistics@defra.gov.uk Media enquiries: 020 7238 6479

Responsible Statistician: Stuart Homann (Environment Agency)

These results summarise the compliance of coastal and inland bathing waters for England in 2025.  Datasets on compliance for coastal and inland bathing waters in England are available to download

Headline results

  • In 2025, measurements were taken at 449 designated bathing waters in England.

  • In 2025, out of the 449 bathing waters measured in England, 417 (92.9 per cent) met at least the minimum standard of the Bathing Water Regulations.
  • In 2025, 297 bathing waters in England (66.1 per cent) met the Excellent standard of the Bathing Water Regulations.
  • In 2025, 32 bathing waters in England (7.1 per cent) did not meet the minimum standard, and were classified as Poor.

Context

For every designated bathing water in England, the Environment Agency monitors Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci in the water, during the official bathing season which is between 15 May to 30 September. Values can vary, for example depending on the weather, pollution from agricultural and urban sources, storm water overflows, amongst other factors. The readings taken over the last four bathing seasons then determine the annual classification for that water.

The 2025 classification results cover the period from 2022 to 2025: a four-year period. Prior to the start of the 2025 season, no bathing waters were de-designated, nor were any new waters designated. The total number of designated bathing waters in England remains at 451. There were two bathing waters unassessed due to access issues. For those new bathing waters that were designated at the start of the 2024 bathing season, classifications were assessed with two season’s samples.

The classifications are:

  • Excellent – the highest, cleanest class

  • Good – generally good water quality

  • Sufficient – the water quality meets the minimum standard

  • Poor – the water quality has not met the minimum standard.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, there was no classification during the 2020 bathing water season.

Analysis

Bathing Water Classification: England

Source:     Environment Agency (EA)

The number of bathing waters meeting the highest standard, Excellent, has increased from last year’s level, with the percentage at the 2023 level. The number of Poor bathing waters dropped slightly. While rainfall this summer has been below average, it has varied significantly across the UK with central, southern and eastern parts of England being especially dry (Met Office).

 Bathing Water Classification: England

Bathing water Classification: England 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Bathing waters
assessed		 413 413 420 420 N/C 417 419 423 450 449
Excellent 287
69.5%		 271
65.6%		 282
67.1%		 302
71.9%		 N/C 295
70.7%		 302
72.1%		 281
66.4%		 289
64.2%		 297
66.1%		  
Good 98
23.7%		 109
26.4%		 106
25.2%		 90
21.4%		 N/C 100
24.0%		 87
20.8%		 99
23.4%		 95
21.1%		 95
21.2%		  
Sufficient 22
5.3%		 26
6.3%		 23
5.5%		 21
5.0%		 N/C 18
4.3%		 18
4.3%		 25
5.9%		 29
6.4%		 25
5.6%		  
Poor 6
1.5%		 7
1.7%		 9
2.1%		 7
1.7%		 N/C 4
1.0%		 12
2.9%		 18
4.3%		 37
8.2%		 32
7.1%		  

Percentages are subject to rounding errors.

Background information

These statistics have been produced to the high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which sets out eight principles including meeting user needs, impartiality and objectivity, integrity, sound methods and assured quality, frankness and accessibility. More information on the Official Statistics Code of Practice can be found at:

https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/monitoring-and-assessment/code-of-practice/

To help those deciding where to swim, information is online https://www.gov.uk/quality-of-local-bathing-water and on signs at the designated coastal and inland waters from May.

Notes

England: https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/

Public Enquiries: 08459 335577; Media enquiries: 020 7238 6479

END

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