Hi John, 

Whether it’s your morning surf, a wild swim with friends, or a quick dip to clear your head – we all deserve clean, safe waters. That’s what “bathing water” designations are all about: protecting the places that give us life. 🌊

Last week, the government in England and Wales revealed three big changes to how bathing waters are regulated. And while there are some wins… they STILL don’t go far enough. Shocker. 

Find out what this means for water lovers like you. 👇

1. Ditching automatic de-designation

What’s changing:
If a bathing water is rated “poor” five years running, it used to be automatically removed from the list. Now, it’s up to the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales to decide whether it’s too costly or tricky to clean up before ministers make the call.

Verdict: ✅ GOOD (mostly)
We pushed for this change. It means fewer sites automatically lose protection. But beware: if it’s “too expensive” to fix, it could still get dumped.

2. Tougher rules on new designations

What’s changing:
Ministers now have to decide whether it’s realistic for a site to ever hit “sufficient” water quality before it gets bathing water status. They’ll also consider physical safety risks and environmental pressures.

Verdict: ❌ BAD
This gives ministers an easy excuse to say no – especially for rivers. With zero English rivers in good overall health, this change could lock rivers out of protection until water companies clean up their act. (We’re not holding our breath 💸)

3. A flexible bathing season

What’s changing:
The standard season (15 May–30 Sept) stays, but ministers can now tweak the dates for specific sites based on local use.

Verdict: ✅❌ Good and bad
Great if it means longer bathing seasons… but risky if it means shorter ones. We want year-round protection for all swimmers, surfers, and cold-water dippers. The new changes make this a postcode lottery. And if they want to cut costs, it's a dangerous loophole.

What's missing? 👎

They’ve still failed to recognise everyone who uses the water – surfers, paddlers, kayakers, bodyboarders, snorkelers. 

All water users deserve protection, all year round.

We’ve been shouting this from the rooftops (have you seen the #ImNotABather campaign on socials?) Share your own photo to join the fight!

How YOU can make a difference

💦 Tell us where you jump in
Log every surf, swim or dip on our Recreational Water map. Why? Every entry strengthens our case to MPs – real data that proves how many of us use these waters and why they need protecting.

🤢 Got sick after being in the water?
Whether you were surfing, paddling, or just splashing about, tell us. Your stories help prove that it’s not just swimmers getting sick – it’s everyone.

💙 Get your local waterway protected
We can help your community apply for bathing water status – with toolkits, videos, guides and expert advice to support you along the way.