Overview
- DEFRA published a 13-site shortlist that would raise England’s total to 464, featuring the River Thames at Ham and Kingston as London’s first proposed designated spot.
- The proposals span coasts and rivers, including Pangbourne Meadow in Berkshire, West Bay East Beach in Dorset, New Brighton in Merseyside, the River Dee at Chester, and rivers such as the Fowey and the Swale.
- Designation brings Environment Agency testing each 15 May to 30 September with public grades from excellent to poor, and it does not guarantee constant safe swimming conditions.
- The plan follows reforms that allow more flexible monitoring periods and expand the legal definition of bather to cover water sports participants.
- Community-led applications won government backing, though citizen-science on the River Swale has reported very high bacteria levels, and 2025 data show 87% of sites rated excellent or good while 7% failed minimum standards.