The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) today announces a 10% drop in the number of Scottish bathing beaches recommended for excellent water quality in its annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk). At total of 44 (41%) beaches are ‘MCS Recommended' this year out of 108 tested, compared to 49 last yearmpled). 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 and MCS largely blames the drop in water quality on an increase in storm pollution.

Calum Duncan, MCS Scottish Conservation Manager, said: "These latest MCS results buck the long term trend toward cleaner bathing water but we're pinning the blame 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 storm run-off from city streets, farm land and combined sewer overflows was hampering efforts by Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to improve bathing water quality. These problems continue, but the 44 beaches recommended this year are still more than triple the total in the Good Beach Guide edition of 1998 which suggests that the £3 billion invested in sewage treatment and infrastructure over the past 7 years has brought permanent benefit to Scotland's beaches.

Calum Duncan continued: "Electronic forecasting signs advising swimmers about beach water quality have been a great success and we need more of them, but we also now need serious investment to tackle pollution  from the hundreds of storm overflows around the coast and the more than two dozen outfalls continuously pumping  poorly treated sewage into the sea.

"MCS is very supportive of the strategy and action plans adopted by SEPA and the Scottish Government to tackle coastal pollution but we equally have concerns that SEPA has reduced bathing water testing by more than 30% since 2003. We would definitely expect to see testing continue at all 108 currently monitored bathing sites."

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:

Calum Duncan, MCS Scottish Conservation Manager - 0131 226 6360. scotland@mcsuk.org

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

Richard Harrington, MCS Communications Manager - 01989 561 585

Main MCS Switchboard - 01989 566 017

Good Beach Guide 2008 - UK Results Breakdown:

Notes To Editors:

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to protecting our seas, shores and wildlife. Since its formation in 1983, MCS has become a recognised authority on marine conservation and is regularly consulted by Government for its views on a range of marine issues. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk) and Good Fish Guide, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark Watch. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is celebrating 25 years of protecting our precious seas, shores and wildlife this year. MCS has successfully lobbied for a recent Government commitment to draft a comprehensive Marine Bill to provide better protection for marine species and habitats and establish a governing system for the sustainable management of the marine environment.  See http://www.mcsuk.org/ for more information.

• MCS Scotland - MCS has been running a busy marine conservation programme in Scotland since 2000, including promotion and co-ordination of Seasearch and Adopt-a-Beach and recently expanded to include the exciting Cool Seas Scotland outreach programme. MCS also chairs and supports the joint campaign for a Scottish Marine Bill that includes: Proper protection for Scotland's marine wildlife, including identification, designation and protection for Nationally Important Marine Areas An effective new planning system for Scotland's seas A Scottish Marine Management Organisation to take charge of planning, licensing and enforcement at sea Clear targets to measure the recovery of our seas. The Scottish Marine Bill must be integrated with the UK Marine Bill, see http://www.mcsuk.org/Documents%20and%20Settings/Calum%20Duncan/Local%20Settings/Temp/www.savescottishseas.org for details.

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 eight Scottish beaches because new public information signs give daily water quality predictions. (See http://www.sepa.org.uk/data/bathingwaters/signage/index.asp)

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 2007. 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.

NOTES TO EDITORS ENDS