River bathing spot rated good in first year

Campaigners say they still want to do more to achieve an excellent rating

A part of a river has been classified as good by the Environment Agency in its first year as a designated bathing water spot.

A stretch of the River Stour near Friars Meadows in Sudbury, Suffolk, was granted bathing water status in May and is believed to be the only inland river with a good rating.

John Kemp, who led the campaign to open the bathing spot, said it was "brilliant news", but there was more to be done to achieve an excellent rating in the future.

Elsewhere in the county, the water north of Claremont Pier in Lowestoft was downgraded from excellent to good and the River Deben Estuary in Waldringfield was upgraded from poor to good.

The classifications were made based on weekly testing for E. coli and intestinal enterococci in the water.

Meeting standards

Mr Kemp said: "So far as I can see, we are the only inland river in the country who have obtained a good classification.

"What it means for the Stour, is that the river is basically in a good state of health for all the swimmers, kayakers, canoeists, paddle boarders, anglers and rowers who use the river on a regular basis.

"Obviously the figures need to be better if we are to obtain an excellent classification and we are hoping that Anglian Water will help, in this regard, by introducing further improvements to the Sudbury recycling plant."

Suffolk went against a national trend across England that saw the number of bathing water sites rated as poor and unfit more than double in 2024.

Sites given an excellent, good or sufficient rating have met the minimum standards – while poor means they have not.

Of eight bathing water sites across the county, four located in Felixstowe and Southwold maintained their excellent status.

The River Deben Estuary was the only site in the county that had previously failed to reach the minimum standard.