Pollution campaigners urge year-round beach tests

People use rivers and beaches throughout the year, said Surfers Against Sewage

Campaigners are pressing for year-round testing of rivers and beaches.

Latest figures show that almost all bathing waters in Devon and Cornwall have been rated as either good or excellent.

But Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) said the testing was "not fit for purpose" because it is only carried out by the Environment Agency (EA) from May to September.

The EA said times of testing were fixed in law and it was strengthening regulation to "improve our bathing waters for all".

Weekly testing should be carried out year-round, rather than only during the designated bathing water season, said SAS.

Spokesman Josh Harris told BBC News: "The bathing water classification system is not fit for purpose.

"People use our beaches the whole year round."

'Lack of will'

He said a "completely reformed monitoring system" was needed "so people can tell the reality of what's going on at their rivers and seas".

"We have the legislation in place, we just don't have the government or regulator to enforce it," he said.

"And that comes down to lack of will and lack of funding.

"We really need to see a step change in all of that to fix this for good."

The EA said monitoring was "fixed in law in the Bathing Water Regulations", which meant it was monitored during the designated bathing water season from May to September.

EA chair Alan Lovell said the "slight fall in standards this year" showed "we must go further to drive improvements", but this took "time and investment".

"That’s why we are strengthening our regulation and working with the water sector, farmers, industry, and others to help them put the environment at the heart of their activities and improve our bathing waters for all," he said.

South West Water said it was pleased that "beaches where we have assets have achieved 100% bathing water quality for the third year running".