Scarborough South Bay businesses urge swift action on water quality

The Environment Agency will resume testing of water quality in South Bay in early May

Traders in Scarborough's South Bay who were hit by poor seawater quality last summer have called for work to find a solution to be speeded up.

Firms raised concerns about the coming tourism season if water was still rated "poor" when the Environment Agency resumed testing in early May.

Steve Crawford of Scarborough Surfers Against Sewage saw his surf school and shop shut for the whole of last summer.

The Environment Agency (EA) said work to asses the water quality was ongoing.

Mr Crawford said he got by using his savings and with support from his partner - but said he was struggling to see how he would manage another season without any income.

He told the BBC: "Solutions must be found. Everyone in the town wants to know what's happening.

"You can't come to a seaside town with signs saying 'advice against the water'. This is the jewel of Scarborough.

"People come for the sea and the views."

Steve Crawford's shop and surf school were closed last summer

John Senior, from the South Bay Traders Association, said there was frustration across the town over the water quality's persistent "poor" rating.

He said: "When you look back historically, the Scarborough water quality has probably never been better.

"But the standards we have to meet are so much higher than they were 10 years ago, it's a desperate challenge."

Mr Senior called for the EA to switch from weekly to daily testing.

He said the results should be publicised in the way UV levels - which let people know about the risk of sunburn - are part of weather forecasts.

Bathers were advised not to swim in Scarborough

An EA spokesperson said: "It is a complex issue as we know there are a number of different pollution sources that impact water quality at different times."

Yorkshire Water said it understood residents' and businesses' concerns about bathing water quality, adding: "However, there are many sources that can influence bathing water quality including storm overflows, agricultural and industrial inputs, wildlife, birds and road drainage.

"Tackling storm overflows is a priority for us and we are bringing forward investment from 2025-2030 to improve the operation of Wheatcroft overflow at Scarborough, under Ofwat's accelerated infrastructure delivery project."

The firm said it planned to invest £1.4bn in reducing discharges from overflows across the region, with a £2.8m investment in Scarborough to reduce spills from the Wheatcroft storm overflow, which will be completed before the start of the 2025 bathing season.