Suffolk clean bill of health for bathers

By Richard Cornwell

ALL bathing waters along the Suffolk coast have reached the European standards this year, according to a report.

The only beach in East Anglia to fail the water quality standard is Great Yarmouth South where investigations are still being carried out to try to find the reason.

A record 60% of the region's beaches also reached the higher "guideline" target for beach water cleanliness, the Environment Agency report revealed.

The agency said this 19% improvement on last year was attributable to the completion by Anglian Water of large schemes to clean-up the water being discharged from sewage treatment works along the coast.

More schemes are scheduled to be completed in time for next year's bathing season – the May to September period during which water quality checks are made.

Alan Barnden, the Environment Agency's regional water quality manager, said: "The region is seeing the benefit of the massive investment programmes by Anglian Water and others over a number of years.

He said he was delighted with the underlying improvement in bathing water quality but disappointed that Great Yarmouth South had marred the region's otherwise 100% record in the past two years.

The failure was only one of nine in the whole of England and Wales.

"The Environment Agency, in partnership with Anglian Water and the local council, will be carrying out extensive investigations to identify the reason for the failure," said Mr Barnden.

Nationally, the number of bathing waters reaching the European standard was a record 97%. Compliance with "guideline" standards also rose to reach 60% nationally.

It is the tenth year in succession that standards have improved.

The agency assessed water quality at 481 coastal and inland bathing waters this year.