The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) today announces a 10% drop in the number of bathing beaches recommended for excellent water quality in its annual Good Beach Guide (http://www.goodbeachguide.co.uk/), compared to last year. In total, 443 (57%) UK beaches are ‘MCS Recommended' this year out of 778 tested, compared to 495 last year. This is the biggest year-on-year fall in the Good Beach Guide's 21 year history.

The latest bathing water tests, conducted from May to September 2007, coincided with the wettest British summer on record.  Beaches failing the minimum legal standard more than tripled from 17 to 53, and MCS blames this drop in water quality largely on an increase in storm related pollution caused by the wet weather. However, 443 recommended beaches is still more than double the total in the Good Beach Guide edition of 2000, which suggests that the £20 billion invested by the water industry has brought permanent benefit to Britain's beaches.

Thomas Bell, MCS Coastal Pollution Officer, said: "These latest MCS results buck the long term trend of cleaner bathing water but we're pinning the blame squarely on last summer's exceptionally bad weather. Heavy rain sweeps pollutants like raw sewage, street debris and animal waste directly from the land into rivers and the sea. Not all beaches are affected but the problem for swimmers is knowing when and where this has happened."

In May last year, MCS warned that climate change forecasts meant severe summer storms were likely to increase pollution around our coast, acting against future improvements in bathing water quality. MCS expects the new Government Bathing Water Regulations to now provide better public information about short-term pollution risks on Britain's beaches. However, specific counter measures are also needed including expansion of the sewer system to handle large volumes of storm water, action to address the estimated 3,500 unregulated combined sewer overflows, and a reduction in animal waste run-off from farm land.

Thomas Bell continued: "The 443 beaches we're recommending shrugged off the worst of last summer's weather, which is good. But poor quality bathing water carries health risks, so if this summer is wet then I'd advise people to use the Good Beach Guide, pick bathing beaches with a good record, and stay out of the sea for at least 24 hours after heavy storms."

The 21st edition of the Good Beach Guide is published in support of the MCS Campaign for Clean Seas, and is available online at www.goodbeachguide.co.uk from Friday 23^rd May. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) works in partnership with MCS, and the Good Beach Guide now carries information about the RNLI's national beach safety programme as well details of beaches patrolled by the RNLI lifeguards.

‘MCS Recommended' is one of five UK beach awards, but is the only scheme that focuses entirely on water quality standards and the risk of sewage pollution. MCS will only recommend beaches in the Good Beach Guide if they are better than the Guideline European water quality standard and are not affected by inadequately treated continuous sewage discharge.

The Good Beach Guide 2008 - the only independent, comprehensive guide to bathing water quality in the UK - is published online at www.goodbeachguide.co.uk from 00:01 23^rd May.

ENDS

Press Contact:

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Thomas Bell, MCS Coastal Pollution Officer - 01989 561 589 / 07796 350072 or thomas.bell@mcsuk.org

Richard Harrington, MCS Communications Manager - 01989 561 585

Dr Sue Kinsey, MCS Adopt-A-Beach Officer - 01989 561 586

Main MCS Switchboard - 01989 566 017

Good Beach Guide 2008 - UK Results Breakdown:

Good Beach Guide 2008 - Regional Results Breakdown:

South West - 72% of beaches in the south west are MCS Recommended - 139 out of 192 tested. 3 beaches failed the legal minimum water quality standard. Despite a drop of 10% in MCS Recommended beaches caused by storm pollution from the wettest summer on record, the south west is still the guide's top performing region for the third year in succession. South West Water has announced the May closure of two crude sewage outfalls at Sennen and Porthcurno under their very successful Clean Sweep investment programme, and MCS looks forward to the completion of similar work at Boscastle, Bossinney, Tintagel and Polperro. MCS also welcomes work schemes to tackle storm run-off from farm land which is polluting coastal waters.

South East - 66% of beaches in the south east are MCS Recommended - 88 out of 133 tested - which is a drop of 10 % on last year. 2 beaches failed the legal minimum water quality standard. The South East has a high population density coupled with extensive new housing developments, and storm pollution caused by the wettest summer on record is the main cause for the decline in MCS Recommended beaches. MCS welcomes the new high tech sewage treatment plant opened by Southern Water at Weatherlees in Kent which benefits beaches from Margate to Broadstairs, but the untreated sewage discharge at Brighton Portobello needs to be urgently rectified and measures to reduce storm pollution run-off and improve emergency storm overflows across the south east are still a priority.

North West - 21% of beaches in the north west are MCS Recommended - 7 out of 33 tested. This figure is unchanged for the fourth year running despite storm pollution from the wettest summer on record. Unfortunately, only the Isle of Man has a poorer year-on-year record as a region in the guide and 3 beaches failed the legal minimum water quality standard. The majority of continuous sewage outfalls are now treated to tertiary standard - only the Ravenglass outfall continues to pump poorly treated effluent - and MCS welcomes United Utilities completion of storm water storage schemes at Southport, New Brighton and Preesall. However, it's clear that pollution from combined sewer overflows and storm run-off from streets and farm land is affecting the majority of beaches and needs to be tackled. The Environment Agency has also stopped using faecal streptococci - an indicator for human disease - in its assessment of bathing water quality.

North East - 68% of beaches in the north east are MCS Recommended - 44 out of 65 tested - which is a drop of 15% on last year. Despite storm pollution from the wettest summer on record, the north east is again second only to the south west as the region enjoying the highest percentage of MCS Recommended beaches this year. Stretches of the Lincolnshire coast, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northumberland are now notable for consistently high water quality. 4 beaches failed the legal minimum water quality standard including the officially designated Staithes which has now failed 16 times in the last 20 years - more than any other beach in the Good Beach Guide.

The region has benefited from Northumbrian Water's good record of investment, but MCS is disappointed that the company was recently given permission to turn off 4 high tech sewage treatment plants during the winter. The equipment cost over £7 million, and we believe that Northumbrian Water's customers expect to see the water environment benefit from their investment year round.

Scotland - 41% of beaches in Scotland are MCS Recommended - 44 out of 108 tested - which is a 10% drop on last year. Beaches failing the minimum legal standard more than doubled from 7 to 18 but bathing water tests, conducted from June to September 2007, coincided with the wettest summer in Scotland for 30 years. MCS largely blames the drop in water quality on an increase in storm pollution. The Society is very supportive of the strategy and action plans adopted by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Scottish Government to tackle coastal pollution, and electronic forecasting signs advising swimmers about bathing water quality have been a great success. However, the £2.15 billion investment outlined by Scottish Water for 2006 to 2010 must reduce pollution from the hundreds of storm overflows around the coast and there are still more than two dozen outfalls continuously pumping  poorly treated sewage into the sea. 

Wales - 57% of beaches in Wales are MCS Recommended - 102 out of 178 tested - which is only a 2% drop on last year despite storm pollution from the wettest summer on record. However, beaches failing the minimum legal standard almost doubled from 8 to 15. Welsh beaches are particularly vulnerable to storm pollution run-off from farm land which carries material like fertilizers and animal waste into the sea. There are also a high number of combined sewer overflows intermittently discharging raw sewage to the coasts of north and south Wales which need upgrading if water quality is to further improve. MCS fully supports Welsh Water's investment programme and hopes that plans by the Welsh Assembly Government, the Environment Agency and the Green Sea initiative will lead to future improvements in bathing water quality.

Northern Ireland -  43% of beaches in Northern Ireland are MCS Recommended - 10 out of 23 tested - which is a drop of 23% on last year. 3 beaches failed the minimum legal standard but bathing water tests, conducted from June to September 2007, coincided with the wettest summer on record and MCS largely blames the drop in water quality on an increase in storm pollution. The province is now undergoing a £420 million sewerage investment programme, and MCS welcomes the completion by Northern Ireland Water Services of new treatment plants on the north coast, benefiting Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock, and in North Down benefiting the beaches of Ballyholme, Groomsport and Millisle. However, the province suffers badly from storm pollution run-off from farm land which carries material like fertilizers and animal waste into the sea, and action is urgently needed to tackle this problem.

Channel Islands - 28% of beaches are MCS Recommended - 8 out of 29 tested - which is drop of 47% on last year. One beach failed the European legal minimum standard - Cobo on Guernsey. Jersey suffered notably from storm pollution caused by the wettest summer on record, losing almost half its recommended beaches from last year despite having one of the best high tech sewage treatment facilities in the British Isles.

Guernsey's total number of MCS Recommended beaches dropped from 4 to 2 but 90% of the island's sewage - 16,000 tonnes per day - is still pumped untreated into Belle Greve Bay. Guernsey's coast is partially ringed by a sewage plume rotating from the 36 year old Belle Greve headworks and outfalls at Fort George and Le Creux Mahie. MCS believes that hydrographic modelling undertaken by independent consultants in 2005 shows that beaches with a history of high faecal bacteria contamination are being affected by this plume. Water quality is noticeably better on beaches where the plume's impact is less, such as L'Eree and Port Soif Bay which are MCS Recommended this year.

An independent consultancy told the States of Guernsey administration in 2005 that the best solution for the island's sewage problem was a new high tech treatment facility. MCS still believes this to be the best solution and the Society is now concerned that if the administration does not address the urgent need for better treatment technology in the next five years then the island risks falling a generation behind advances in the UK and Europe.

Isle of Man - 1 beach is MCS Recommended on the Isle of Man this year, down from 2 last year. A total of 4 beaches failed the European legal minimum standard. The island undoubtedly suffered from the wettest summer on record but water quality on about a third of the tested beaches bore the brunt of any storm pollution run-off remarkably well. However, the IRIS sewage treatment plant came online in April 2004 and bathing water quality as a whole is still not what MCS expected from a facility costing an estimated £170 million - about £2,300 per person. The north and west of the island have yet to be connected to the system and this means that raw sewage is still being discharged into the sea at a number of places around the island, including Peel.

Notes To Editors:

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife.  MCS campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, protection of marine life and their habitats, and the sensitive use of our marine resources for future generations.  Through education, community involvement and collaboration, MCS raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to protect the marine environment. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk), the Good Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org on sustainable seafood, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark Watch.www.mcsuk.org The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is celebrating 25 years of protecting our precious seas, shores and wildlife this year. MCS will be running a series of events and initiatives in 2008 to highlight the need for better protection of our seas, celebrate the wildlife they support and give opportunities for people to take an active part - on land or at sea.

Water quality standards for all official (designated) UK bathing sites are set down in the European Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC). The Mandatory Standard - the legal minimum - is based on levels of faecal and total bacteria coliforms that indicate the presence of pollution from human sewage and/or livestock faeces. Mandatory Standard determines whether a beach ‘passes' or ‘fails'. The Directive also describes the 20 times more stringent Guideline Standard, which is generally accepted to indicate good water quality. It has now been shown that the microbiological criteria for the Mandatory Standard are not strict enough to minimise the risk of contracting a serious illness. In March 2006, the European Union adopted a new Bathing Waters Directive with stricter microbiological standards. The new Directive has been transposed into domestic law in England, Wales and Scotland. The N.Ireland consultation recently closed and new domestic regulations for the province are expected.

The beaches recommended in the MCS Good Beach Guide must:

• Achieve a 100% pass of the EC Mandatory Standard (compared to 95% required by the EC Directive).
• Pass the 20 times higher EC Guideline Standard.
• Not be affected by any continuous sewage outfalls that discharge raw, screened or primary treated sewage.

Abnormal Weather Waivers: Under Article 5.2 of the EC Bathing Water Directive, deviations from Mandatory and Guideline values may be consented by the relevant authority in the case of floods, other natural disasters and abnormal weather conditions. This is generally taken to mean storms with a return frequency of one in five years or more. If a waiver is applied, then a replacement water quality sample is taken after a period to allow the storm effects to dissipate. MCS now recognises such waivers on ten Scottish beaches because new public information signs give daily water quality predictions, but does not recognise them in the rest of the UK because the bathing public is not notified when the waivers are applied.

Sewage pollution from outfalls has been the major source of bacterial pollution in coastal waters for the past century, masking other sources of pathogens. As sewage discharges have been cleaned up, due to investment in the wastewater infrastructure, other sources are becoming more dominant, especially during wet weather. Bacterial pollution can derive from diffuse sources such as agricultural run-off, urban run-off, storm waters, private discharges, septic tank leaks and dog faeces shed on the beach.

Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO): Many of Britain's bathing beaches have CSOs and storm water outfalls sited on or near the beach. Following periods of heavy rainfall, and to avoid floodwater overwhelming local sewage treatment plants, CSOs divert untreated sewage away from treatment plants and discharge directly into rivers and coastal waters.

The relevant authorities that test bathing water quality in the UK are the Environment Agency (England and Wales), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Department of Environment Northern Ireland, Isle of Man Government, States of Guernsey Board of Administration and Jersey Tourism. Information provided by these authorities was used to compile the MCS Good Beach Guide 2008. Throughout the bathing season (June to mid September in Scotland and Northern Ireland, May to September in all other regions), water quality is measured every two weeks. This information is updated regularly on the Environment Agency (www.environment-agency.gov.uk), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (www.sepa.org.uk) and Department of Environment Northern Ireland (www.ehsni.gov.uk) websites.

The UK has five beach award schemes in 2008:

MCS is again working with the RNLI to promote the charity's national beach safety programme which encourages the public to always swim at lifeguarded beaches. The locations of lifeguarded beaches are available at www.goodbeachguide.co.uk. Check www.rnli.org.uk/beachsafety for RNLI beach safety information.

The RNLI formed its lifeguard service in 2001 to standardise the approach to the provision of a beach lifeguard service on our beaches. In 2008, RNLI lifeguards will patrol 87 beaches across the southwest (Cornwall, Devon and Dorset), and eight beaches in Norfolk. For the first time, there will also be RNLI lifeguards guarding 12 beaches in Pembrokeshire. The aim is to make a significant difference to safety on beaches by providing an integrated rescue service from the beach to the open sea, with common standards, defined operational areas and effective resourcing. The RNLI lifeguards work in conjunction with RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews to provide a joined up life-saving service from the beach to the open sea. The RNLI is a charity reliant on donations and legacies. For more information on RNLI Lifeguards, visit www.rnli.org.uk or call the RNLI press office on 01202 336789 or 01202 663181.