Published: May 26, 2011
Good Beach Guide praises bathing water in Burnham and Berrow

Beaches in Burnham-On-Sea and Berrow have scored well in the new edition of the Good Beach Guide, which was published on Wednesday (May 26th).

The latest edition of the guide, from the Marine Conservation Society, showed Berrow and Burnham-On-Sea beaches both have bathing water quality that is up from 'basic' last year to 'recommended', while Brean remains at 'basic'.

The news comes just a fortnight after Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here that Burnham and Berrow beaches had both won Quality Coast Awards.

But it all could be different in the future. Stricter water quality rules will come into force from 2015 and these will start to be monitored from 2012.

Rachel Wyatt, MCS Coastal Protection Officer, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "From 2015 Europe's beaches will be classified using even stricter water quality standards due to the revision of the Bathing Water Directive."

"Instead of viewing these new standards with dread, our coastal communities and water companies should welcome them as an opportunity to attract more people to the UK's wonderful and varied seaside resorts."

Monitoring for the new standards begins next year, and if a beach consistently fails to meet these legal limits between then and 2015, bathers could be faced with a sign advising them not to enter the water when they head to the beach.

Weston-Super-Mare's Sand Bay beach keeps its 'recommended' status and the resort's Uphilll and main beach are still at 'basic', but works are underway to improve them.