Water quality: Swimming safety concerns at two beaches

People are being told not to swim in Ogmore-by-Sea due to the water quality

A lifeguard has raised concerns for swimmers' safety after two beaches were given poor water quality ratings.

Watch Tower Bay in Barry and Ogmore-by-Sea beach, both designated for bathing in 2023, were sampled by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) last year.

They are the only two bathing designated beaches in Wales out of 109 that have received a poor rating.

Vale of Glamorgan council advised people not to swim at either site after elevated levels of bacteria were found.

The type of bacteria found comes predominantly from sewage and agriculture, as well as other sources.

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Geraint Rees, a lifeguard and committee member at Rhondda Cold Knap Lifeguard Club, said his members have used Watch Tower Bay to train for about 20 years.

"[The rating] won't go away after a couple of tests that have shown that the water quality is good," he said.

"It is there now for the calendar season and the council have had to put up signs following regulations advising against bathing for the current season.

"The fact that these signs are in place means we can't be taking our members into the sea on that beach because we have a duty of care to them.

"We are not there 24/7 but the we do have a regular presence when it is busy and the fact that we won't be there could put people's lives at risk."

Watch Tower Bay is one of two beaches with a "poor" rating from Natural Resources Wales

Elevated levels of bacteria in the water tend to follow periods of high rainfall, according to the council's director of environment and housing services, Mike Punter.

Many of the sewer pipes in Wales are combined, which means they collect wastewater and rainwater.

Welsh Water's managing director for waste water services, Steve Wilson, told a Vale of Glamorgan council meeting they "categorically don't know" all of the sources of pollution coming from the River Ogmore.

"It is our job now… to continue the investigation of where the sources of pollution on to that beach, where the sources of bacteria… are coming from and that is what we are working on," he said.

Councillor Joanna Protheroe said at the same meeting: "It is a very popular… bathing beach and it is used all year around."

Mr Wilson said a £140m investment programme to tackle the issue of storm overflows from 2025 to 2030 was subject to approval by water services regulator Ofwat.

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