Cleaning up our waters are a priority for the Government. The Government will respond to the recommendations published in the final report of the Independent Water Commission through a White Paper and will bring forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for the environment and customer bills, restoring trust and accountability. Together with the actions the Government have already taken, this will mark the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation, and we are keen to work closely with stakeholders, looking for a new partnership between Government, the sector, investors, and communities which will deliver the change the public expects.
Bathing waters are a vital public amenity and continue to attract considerable public interest. The Government are committed to improving the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes for the benefit of the environment and everyone who use them. We are continually working to improve and modernise our bathing waters system to support the Government growth agenda.
Today, DEFRA, alongside the Welsh Government, has laid before Parliament a statutory instrument to amend the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. The amendments in the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 reflect the outcome of our November 2024 consultation. The Government response to our consultation was published in March 2025 and outlined our intention to deliver three core reforms alongside several technical amendments. These changes respond directly to calls from stakeholders to modernise the framework governing bathing waters.
Core reform 1 removes the automatic de-designation provision from the 2013 regulations, which states that if a bathing water site receives a classification of “poor” for five consecutive years, it is automatically de-designated, and the Environment Agency or National Resources Wales must issue permanent advice against bathing. Instead, following a site receiving five consecutive “poor” classifications, the EA or NRW will advise the appropriate Minister on whether it is feasible and not disproportionately expensive to improve the site to “sufficient” standard. Ministers will then make a final decision on whether a site should continue to be designated. This change reflects our commitment to fairness and long-term environmental stewardship.
Core reform 2 amends the process to designate a bathing water to include consideration of the feasibility of improving a site’s water quality to at least “sufficient” water quality as a criterion for final designation. This reform also introduces consideration of whether there is likely to be a significant risk to the physical safety of bathers from the particular features of the water (where Ministers have reasonable grounds to believe this), or if it is likely that a large number of bathers will have a significant impact on environmental protection measures at site, prior to final designation. This reform will support tailored, site-specific decisions that better protect public health and the environment.