31/05/11
Bathing water monitoring for the summer season in England and Wales began on 15 May.
In recent years, water companies have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on improving wastewater treatment to protect the coastal environment and improve the quality of bathing waters.
However, intermittent discharges from Combined Sewer Overflows, operating as a result of heavy rainfall, can impact on bathing water quality, and some water companies have begun trials on warning systems when this may be a health risk to bathers.
Information will be available on water company websites, and Surfers Against Sewage has agreed to text its members real-time information. This voluntary initiative is promoted by the Cleaner Seas Forum and reflects the requirements of the revised EU Bathing Water Directive, effective from 2015, which requires more public information and improved beach management.
Surfers Against Sewage to launch free real time sewage alert service at 55 beaches UK wide
