THE Environment Agency has today (25 November 2025) published the 2025 bathing water classifications for 449 designated bathing sites in England. 87% meet standards for ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ classification, an improvement on 2024, meaning swimmers can benefit from a higher number of better-quality bathing sites than last year. 

Overall, 417 bathing waters (93%), were rated ‘Excellent’, ‘Good’ or ‘Sufficient’, representing a slight rise on 2024. 297 sites achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating this year, compared to 289 in 2024, while 32 sites were classified as ‘Poor’, a decrease on 37 last year.  

Bathing water quality in England has improved dramatically since the 1990s, following decades of regulation, investment and partnership work. 

These results are based on the last 4 years of testing by the Environment Agency which monitors for indicators of pollution known to be associated with risks to bathers’ health, specifically E. coli and intestinal enterococci. 

Each bathing water has its own pressures, and many factors can influence bathing water quality including storm overflows, agricultural runoff, birds, dogs and other local issues. 

In today’s announcement, 88% of North-West bathing waters have been rated Excellent (6, 18%), Good (13, 38%), or Sufficient 11 (32%). However, 4 (12%) failed to meet the minimum required and have been classified as Poor.  

In the last year the Environment Agency has  been working with partners to improve bathing waters and understand the challenges across the northwest. In West Kirby, for example, a Working Together Agreement has been put in place that brings together the Mersey Rivers Trust, Unitied Utilities, the Environment Agency and Wirral Borough Council to drive improvements.

The agreement has seen the development of proposals for a new DNA testing programme to identify the source of pollution more accurately and help ensure that resource can be targeted where it will have most impact.

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:- “Bathing water quality in England has improved significantly over recent decades, and this year’s results show the continued impact of strong regulation, investment and partnership working. But we know there is more to do, and the new bathing water reforms will strengthen the way these much-loved places are managed. The Environment Agency is working closely with Defra to ensure these changes are implemented effectively whilst our teams continue to work with water companies, farmers, councils and local groups to tackle all sources of pollution and support continued progress across sites.” 

The Environment Agency works closely with local partners at priority sites to tackle all factors influencing water quality. Goring beach in West Sussex is a good example of this partnership working – following EA sampling and information sharing, awareness campaigns by Worthing Borough Council, and Southern Water fixing misconnections, the bathing water has achieved a ‘Good’ classification this year. 

Alongside the annual classifications, the government’s new Bathing Water Regulation reforms came into force on 21 November 2025. These reforms are designed to change the ‘1 size fits all’ approach and more closely reflect how people use our beaches, lakes and rivers. 

The reforms include:- 

• The old rule that automatically removed a bathing water's status after 5 years of 'Poor' ratings in a row has been ended. Now, when a site is struggling regulators will look at the issues affecting the water quality and, where possible, work towards finding realistic options for improving it.  
• Now there is more flexibility to monitoring dates - so that testing can be adapted to suit individual sites and better match when people actually use the water. 
• A 3rd reform, which will look at new criteria for bathing waters, will come into force in May 2026 to allow guidance to be fully developed. 

  
Water Minister Emma Hardy said:- “Our bathing waters are at the heart of so many communities, and these reforms will help people experience the benefits of our beautiful waters and connect with nature. By ending automatic de-designation and bringing in more flexibility to when waters are monitored, we’re creating a system that reflects how people actually use their local rivers, lakes and beaches. These changes sit alongside our wider action to clean up our waterways so communities across the country can enjoy the places they care about most.” 

Defra and the Environment Agency are encouraging people to use Swimfo, the EA’s online service providing the latest information on bathing water quality and incidents, helping the public make informed decisions about where and when to swim.