Wild swimming spots in England designated as bathing waters ahead of summer - full list of locations

Four wild swimming spots across England have been designated as bathing waters ahead of summer.

Sites in Rutland, Devon and Suffolk will receive bathing water status from next month taking the total number of official bathing waters across the country to 424 - the highest recorded.

The status means the water quality will be tested regularly with the Environment Agency taking regular samples during the bathing season, which runs between 15 May and 30 September.

The government said the proportion of bathing waters assessed as good or excellent has increased from 76% to 93%, while 72% are considered “excellent” compared with 51% in 2010.

It comes after the government launched its Plan For Water which sets out action to clean up the UK’s waters and ensure a plentiful supply into the future. As part of this new plan, the government said companies could face unlimited fines for dumping raw sewage in rivers.

Which sites are now designated bathing waters?

The sites across England which have newly been given bathing water status are:

• Firestone Bay (also known as Devil’s Point) in Plymouth
• Sykes Lane Bathing Beach at Rutland Water in Oakham (East Midlands)
• Whitwell Creek at Rutland Water
• A section of the River Deben at Waldringfield in Suffolk 

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard made the proposal to Parliament last year to designate Firestone Bay as official bathing waters.

Now South West Water will be required to ensure the water is safe for bathing at the site in Plymouth.

For all of the sites, the Environment Agency will assess whether action is needed to cut pollution levels and work with local communities, farmers and water companies to improve water quality.

Water minister Rebecca Pow said: "These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring, starting this May, so bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water. The regular monitoring also means that action can be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met.

"We now have more bathing waters than ever, and we’ve worked hard in recent years to boost their status - with an incredible 93% now classed as good or excellent - and our new Plan For Water will help us go further and faster on our targets."

How are sites selected for the status?

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considers how many people bathe there, if the site has suitable infrastructure and facilities such as toilets, and where investment in water quality improvements following designation would have the most impact.

All applications are assessed against these factors and only those that meet these factors are taken forward to public consultation.

The designation of the new sites follows the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan published earlier this year, which includes a target for everyone to live within a 15-minute walk from nature, such as bathing waters.