English Swimming Waters Face Pollution Risk 5x Higher Than EU Average

New research by Best for Britain has revealed that bathing waters in England are falling far behind those in the European Union. The findings show that the number of English sites rated as poor quality is more than five times higher than the EU average.

Analysis of data from the European Environment Agency and the UK’s Environment Agency paints a stark picture. In 2024, only 64.2 per cent of England’s bathing waters achieved the top “excellent” rating. In contrast, 85.4 per cent of bathing waters across the EU met this highest standard.

England also recorded the worst figures for poor-quality sites among the UK’s four nations and the EU. Some 8.2 per cent of locations in England fell into the lowest category, compared to 3.4 per cent in Scotland, 1.8 per cent in Wales, and just 1.5 per cent across the EU. Northern Ireland had no single bathing water site rated as poor.

Environmental campaigners have long warned about the damaging effects of water pollution. It poisons wildlife, sickens swimmers, degrades rivers, lakes, and seas, and harms coastal economies that depend on tourism and healthy ecosystems. Although the UK and the EU use the same criteria to award bathing water status, the EU consistently achieves cleaner results. Campaigners attribute this to more vigorous enforcement of water quality regulations and stricter oversight of sewage treatment.

The EU has recently gone a step further by strengthening its urban wastewater rules. In some cases, water will now be subject to an additional “quaternary” treatment process to remove tiny pollutants such as chemical residues, pharmaceutical traces, and pesticide particles. The UK will not be introducing this measure, which environmental groups point to as another example of post-Brexit divergence from EU ecological standards.

Public opinion on this issue is strikingly unified. A poll conducted by More in Common in April 2025 found that 95 per cent of people across the UK consider reducing sewage spills to be either very important or somewhat important. Only four per cent said it was not very important, and just one per cent felt it should not be a priority at all.

This is not just a partisan concern. While 73 per cent of Labour supporters described the issue as very important, the same proportion of Reform UK voters did. For political strategists, this alignment suggests that action on water quality could be a rare point of agreement and even an electoral opportunity.

Best for Britain is urging the government to implement and enforce current water quality laws fully. The group also wants the UK to match the EU’s higher standards on micropollutants, warning that failing to do so risks leaving Britain’s waterways further behind.

Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, said:

“People are rightly appalled by the disgusting state of the UK’s rivers, lakes and beaches. Clean water should be guaranteed to all, and no one should have to risk their or their child’s health simply by enjoying a swim or paddle on a sunny day.

“Once again, when it comes to environmental regulation, enforcement and protecting people’s health, the European Union leads the charge. This is yet more evidence ministers must properly implement and enforce existing standards - and keep pace as the EU raises the bar in ways that can tangibly benefit millions, as our polling shows voters expect.”

Amy Fairman, Head of Campaigns at River Action, said:

“This analysis confirms what bathers and river lovers already know: UK waters are in crisis. Polluting‐for‐profit water companies, industrial‐scale agriculture, and toothless regulation have failed people and nature alike.

“The Independent Water Commission was right to call for Ofwat’s replacement – but only real power, enforcement, and accountability will fix a broken system. It’s outrageous that the UK now sits amongst the worst performing countries for water quality in Europe – and unless we act, we’ll return to our shameful position as the ‘dirty man of Europe’.”

Melissa Green, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), which began campaigning on river pollution in 1936, said:

“The WI has campaigned on water quality for almost a century, and we’re desperately disappointed to have to still be fighting. From sewage and industrial agriculture run-off, to microplastics - our rivers are in a terrible state.

“We are pleased that the government is finally reviewing bathing water regulations, but concerned that the changes may be heading in the wrong direction. Proposed feasibility tests for new bathing water designations could exclude many sites simply because they’re too polluted, unfairly punishing communities for historic pollution instead of addressing the cause of the problem now.

“To tackle pollution, we need better enforcement of the rules, and properly funded regulators to end the relentless harm to our precious waterways.”

Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the Office for Environment Protection (OEP), which replaced the EU in its water quality watchdog role but cannot impose fines, said last year:

“We have found that, while the relevant law here is broadly sound, it is simply not being implemented effectively.

“This means it is not delivering as intended and, as a consequence, most of our open water is likely to remain in a poor state in the years ahead unless things change. This is deeply concerning.”

Ben Reynolds, from the Institute for European Environment Policy UK (IEEP UK), recently told the Guardian:

“Standards in the UK are no longer keeping track and are falling behind.

“With the dire state of river pollution in this country, in part due to sewage, the UK should be looking hard at all options to tackle this, and keeping track with these higher standards alongside smarter investment and more resources for enforcement."