Eastbourne’s bathing water classification drops from good to sufficient

Water samples are taken on a weekly basis between May-September each year under the Bathing Water Directive through the Environment Agency (EA).

A classification for bathing water is calculated annually, based on samples from the previous four years. These classifications, from best to worst, are ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’. The Eastbourne classification has been ‘good’ for 2018-2021, but 2022 results are in and it’s come back as ‘sufficient’.

‘Sufficient’ means the water meets the minimum standard according to the EA. If bathing water is classified as ‘poor’, then a sign advising against bathing will be displayed. However, the beach remains open for people to enjoy.

A sample tells EA the quality of the water at that specific time, but water quality can change over the course of one day. In each sample the EA tests for bacteria that indicates whether there is faecal matter in the water, called faecal indicator organisms (FIOs).

Faecal matter can come from many sources including sewage, agricultural livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. When more of these FIOs are present in the water, it can indicate greater risks to the bather’s health. Bathing water regulations are based on research by the World Health Organisation which looked at the frequency of stomach upsets in people bathing in waters of different classifications.

Weekly tests will start again in May 2023 and you can keep up to date with that on the Environment Agency’s Bathing Water Quality page.

More information here

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