Stuart Anderson MP Concerned by Sluggish Improvement in Bathing Water Quality
Stuart Anderson MP has urged the government to intensify efforts to improve the quality of bathing waters in South Shropshire as part of his plan to protect the natural environment and countryside.
- Raw sewage was discharged into England’s rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year.
- The latest classifications also show that one in seven English bathing sites are still polluted.
- It includes the bathing site upstream of Dinham Bridge at the River Teme in Ludlow.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Our bathing waters in South Shropshire bring so much joy to both residents and visitors. So, I am greatly concerned that raw sewage was discharged into England’s rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year, while there were more than 1.87 million hours of sewage spills. The latest classifications also show that one in seven English bathing sites are still polluted, with only 87% meeting standards for ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ classification. Although this is a slight improvement on 2024’s classifications, it has fallen from 90% in 2023. Sadly, it includes the bathing site upstream of Dinham Bridge at the River Teme in Ludlow, which has been classified as ‘poor’ for a second year. This is despite huge efforts from the community and local partners to improve bathing water quality at the site. I have urged the government to intensify efforts to improve the quality of our bathing waters.”
Stuart says he has been contacted by many residents who are deeply concerned about the quality of bathing waters in South Shropshire. The Environment Agency has also reported that raw sewage was discharged into England’s rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year and there were more than 1.87 million hours of sewage spills in 2025. Stuart’s campaign also follows publication of the latest official classifications in December 2025, which found that one in seven English bathing sites are still polluted. The 2025 bathing session ran from 15th May to 30th September 2025, with results published on 25th November 2025.
Stuart has said that the results show “sluggish improvement” in the number of bathing waters that are rated as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ compared to the year before. Of 449 designated bathing sites in England, 87% met standards for ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ classification in 2025. While this is a slight improvement on the previous year’s classifications, it has fallen from 90% in 2023. Stuart has said this sharply contrasts with the record of the previous Conservative government, which had made significant progress in this area. While only 76 per cent of bathing sites were considered ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in 2010, this had reached 90% in 2023. This is despite the classification standards being toughened in 2015. 20 samples were taken at a new bathing site upstream of Dinham Bridge at the River Teme in Ludlow, which were classified as having ‘poor’ water quality for a consecutive year. This makes it one of just thirty two sites not to have met the minimum standard. This is despite huge efforts from the community and local partners to improve the bathing water quality.
Last year, Stuart requested details of how the government intends to maintain this progress. It was confirmed that the Environment Agency had developed an Action Plan for the site. In March, Stuart then attended the launch of a pilot to trial novel monitoring approaches on the River Teme - with the aim of providing greater insight into bathing water quality as well as possible sources of pollution. Stuart welcomed the pilot at Linney Riverside, which ensures that bacterial levels are monitored daily rather than weekly - equipping the public with the latest information available on water quality at the bathing site. Stuart hailed the development, which marked the first use of regular daily computer-controlled bacteriological sampling in the country. Funding for the pilot came from the £3.75 million River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Project, which was launched by the previous government in 2023.
