Everyone enjoys a day out by the sea but how good is the water?
Southern Water has invested millions of pounds in improving the quality of the bathing water along the South East coastline. In 1988, only 41 per cent of the beaches met the EU Bathing Water Directive standards.
This year, all 82 of the beaches sampled by the Environment Agency passed either the guideline or mandatory values of the directive. These samples are taken every week from May to September from Lepe in Hampshire to Gravesend in Kent.
Blue flags are awarded to beaches that have not only clean sea water but also good access and facilities and are free of litter. For more information, visit www.blueflag.org.uk.
Our interactive map shows the South Coast with icons indicating all of the sampled beaches. Click on the icon marking the beach you are interested in and the latest test results will be displayed. You can also select ‘Description’ to see the beach facilities. Click ‘Satellite’ to zoom in for a close-up view of your chosen beach. You can also select ‘Hybrid’ for a combination of map and satellite image.
The bathing water results are in three categories:
Excellent where the results comply with the guideline standard of the Bathing Water Directive(BWD), Good where the results comply with the BWD mandatory standard and Poor where the results do not comply with the BWD mandatory standard. You can also select 'Description' to see the beach facilities and access the Environment Agency profile of the beach.
Enjoy the summer!
