A newly designated bathing site at a Tyneside beach has been described as “fantastic” by the local council after “significant investment” over the last ten years.
Littlehaven Beach is one of 27 new designated bathing sites across England for the 2024 summer season. The South Shields beach is the only new bathing spot in the North East, meaning its water quality will be monitored throughout this year’s water bathing season, which starts on Wednesday (May 15).
South Tyneside Council have described the news as fantastic, having pumped investment into the beach over the last decade to create a Seawall and Promenade, which they say has revitalised the area by providing both an improved coastal defence and a “stunning” visit attraction. It now becomes the third beach to be monitored in the borough, after Sandhaven and Marsden’s water quality was classed as excellent and good respectively in 2023.
Coun Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhoods and climate change at South Tyneside Council, said: “Littlehaven is a beautiful part of our coastline. It is much loved by both residents and visitors and an extremely popular spot for sea swimming and water sports. Given the number of people who enjoy our seaside all year round and regularly use Littlehaven, it is fantastic that the beach has received bathing water designation and will now undergo regular water quality monitoring during the summer season.
“Having this official designation will help us better protect the health of those going into the water at this spot and will provide people with up-to-date information and the confidence to make an informed decision before taking a dip.”
(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
The Environment Agency designated a record number of the sites which the Government proposed as new bathing sites during a consultation earlier this year. This brings the number for this year’s season, which runs until September 30, to 451 across England.
The Government will also launch a consultation this year on proposals to reform England’s bathing water regulations, the Environment Department (Defra) says. Proposed changes include driving improvements to water quality at bathing spots, enhancing monitoring, and enabling more flexibility around the dates of the monitoring season.
Defra will also seek public and stakeholder views on extending the definition of “bathers” beyond just swimmers, and will look to include rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders in that definition. The department said that last year, 96% of bathing waters in England met minimum annual standards and that 90% were rated as “excellent” or “good”.
(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
However, there has been growing public anger over the state of England’s rivers and coastal waters, which continue to suffer pollution from sewage outlets and other sources, such as agricultural run off. In the North East, raw sewage was discharged from Northumbrian Water’s storm overflows for 280,029 hours in 2023, from a total of 46,492 spills, and the water company has now launched an interactive map to show storm overflows in real time and help the public make “informed choices” about where they bathe.
Making the announcement on what has been described as the largest ever rollout of new bathing sites, water minister Robbie Moore said: “The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country – and I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year. I am fully committed to seeing the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes rise further for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses them.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/littlehaven-beach-bathing-south-shields-29156812
