This week Defra and the Welsh Government have opened a public consultation on the proposed changes to bathing water rules.

The new plan outlined would remove the current fixed bathing water season dates (currently May-Sept) as cold water swimming in the winter months continues to rise in popularity, other recreational activities (such as paddle boarding and surfing) will be recognised under the definition of ‘bathers’, and the water quality testing may take place at multiple locations per bathing site.

Our response official response from Mark Lloyd, CEO of The Rivers Trust:

“We welcome these proposed reforms to the Bathing Water rules, several of which we and other NGOs have been requesting for some time. Our rivers, lakes and beaches are a fantastic natural resource which should be available for people to enjoy confidently for their mental and physical wellbeing as well as providing opportunities for economic growth.

"We are particularly pleased to see the ending of automatic de-designation for waters which failed to meet standards after 5 years – the focus must be on driving improvements in our natural environment and not giving up when it gets hard. We will be urging Ministers to make the new system more transparent and to include a wider range of pollutants that can cause risks to public health. We hope that applications for new designations can open again in the Spring without any further delay.”

Respond to the consultation online and have your say on the future of recreational freshwater sites before midnight on December 23rd.

Consultation on Reform of the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 - Defra - Citizen Space