Mapped: The beaches with no-swim warnings in Lancashire and across England

Summertime in England - when the sun eventually decides to show its face - is a time many people love to fflock to the beach for a lovely refreshing swim.

There are 425 locations in England that have been designated as official bathing spots by the Environment Agency. The water quality of most of those (281) is classified as “excellent”. At another 99 it’s classified as “good”.

There are, however, 18 sites where tests by the Environment Agency found that the water quality was “poor” and people are advised against bathing there. That includes five sites that had been classified as fine a year ago.

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One of those had been classified as “good” - Littlestone in Kent. Another three had been classified as “sufficient” - Porthluney in Cornwall, Southsea East in Portsmouth, and St Annes North in Blackpool. The fourth - the River Deben Estuary in Suffolk - wasn’t listed as a bathing spot last year. The list of bathing spots swimmers are advised to avoid includes popular seaside towns such as Blackpool North, Bridlington South Beach, Bognor Regis (Aldwick), Scarborough South Bay, and three spots in Weston-super-Mare.

The Environment Agency has also issued permanent advice against swimming in four official bathing sites - Clacton (Groyne 41), Instow, Ilfracombe Wildersmouth, and Burnham Jetty North.

You can see all the bathing spots that the Environment Agency advises against bathing in by using our interactive map:

The Environment Agency tests water at bathing sites throughout the year for the presence of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli (known as E. coli) and Intestinal enterococci. Each bathing site is then given a rating based on the results over the year, either “excellent”, “good”, “sufficient” or “poor”.

The ratings in the map therefore are based on the Environment Agency’s water tests conducted throughout 2023.

Full list of bathing spots where bathing is not advised:

• Blackpool North

• Bognor Regis (Aldwick)

• Bridlington South Beach

• Dunster Beach

• Heacham

• Littlestone

• Porthluney

• River Deben Estuary, Waldringfield

• Scarborough South Bay

• Southsea East

• St Annes North

• St Mary's Bay (Kent)

• Tynemouth Cullercoats

• Weston Main

• Weston-super-Mare Sand Bay

• Weston-super-Mare Uphill Slipway

• Wharfe at Cromwheel, Ilkley

• Wolvercote Mill Stream