Cullercoats Bay water quality rated 'poor' for fifth year in a row

Cullercoats Bay could be stripped of its designated bathing water status after failing water quality standards.

The popular bay has failed the Environment Agency's assessment for five years running, which means that under the current system it automatically loses its designated bathing water status – though that process is being consulted on.

The monitoring revealed that Cullercoats is one of two North East beaches to be rated 'Poor' for water quality. The remaining 33 sites across the region were rated 'Good' or 'Excellent'.

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North Tyneside Council said "contaminated groundwater" is believed to be the primary factor impacting water quality at Cullercoats and work has been ongoing since 2017 to tackle the issue. The council said it would continue working with Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency until water quality matches aspirations.

Sam Dand, director of environment at North Tyneside Council, said: "We are extremely proud of our award-winning coastline and beaches, including Cullercoats, which continues to be a popular destination for both residents and visitors.

"Since 2017, we have worked closely with Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency to address water quality concerns at Cullercoats. Investigations remain focused on contaminated groundwater as the primary issue, and considerable work has been carried out on both public and privately-owned land to tackle this ongoing challenge.

"Cullercoats remains a vibrant and welcoming beach with excellent facilities, and we will continue this work with our partners until the water quality matches our aspirations."

Elsewhere in the North East, Littlehaven Beach in South Shields was also rated 'Poor' for water quality. It was among 18 of the 27 newly designated sites in England this year to fail water quality testing. The new bathing sites designated at the start of the season have previously not been managed for bathing.

Councillor Ernest Gibson Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change, said: "Littlehaven Beach itself remains a popular and safe spot for local residents and visitors to enjoy, and while the pier positions make the waters safe for sports and recreation, it can be more vulnerable to pollution.

"Given its unique location within the river Tyne estuary, the water quality rating is not unexpected. However, as a newly designated bathing water, this classification gives us a baseline on which to begin to drive up standards with the water now regularly monitored.

"Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and we expect it will take a few years until the water quality meets our aspirations. This is simply the start of our journey of improvement."

Sandhaven beach, also in South Shields, had its rating dropped from 'Excellent' in 2023 to 'Good' in 2024.

Councillor Gibson said: "South Tyneside beaches are some of the most stunning in the country and attract visitors from near and far all year round. It is great that both Sandhaven and Marsden Bay are being recognised as 'good' beaches for water quality.

"Having these official ratings helps us to better protect the health of those entering the water at these locations as well as giving visitors up to date information and the confidence to make informed decisions about where they choose to bathe."

In England, around one in 12 official swimming spots along coasts, lakes and rivers failed to meet water quality standards, according to the new figures. The Environment Agency’s monitoring of designated bathing waters during the official swimming season between May and September shows that overall, 8.2% of bathing waters – some 37 sites – were rated 'Poor' for water quality in 2024.

Out of 450 bathing waters regularly tested for harmful bacteria, 91.8% met at least the minimum standards for clean water while 64.2% reached 'Excellent' standards, the figures show.

Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water, said: "33 of our region's 35 Bathing Waters remain in Defra's top two standards of 'Good' or 'Excellent' and we have a greater number of 'Excellent' than in 2023. This is a really positive indicator of the water quality across our region and means 95% of people in the North East live within an hour of a great beach.

"Over the past 12 months, we have increased our Storm Overflow monitoring and now gather data from 100% of these assets, meaning we are able to use this to work towards improvements and also responding to alarms to prevent overflows from operating due to sewer blockages.

"Recently, we announced that we are currently trialling a UK-first £20m smart sewer project to reduce the reliance upon storm overflows across the Tyneside region. As well as this, we are investing a further £1.7 billion from 2025 to 2030 in a massive environmental programme to stop storm overflow spills and help improve the environment across our region.

"Many factors can influence Bathing Water quality such as agricultural and highway run off, so where this falls below the Excellent or Good standards, we will continue to work with partners to understand why the water is below a good standard and to help raise that to a higher classification."