Published: 16/11/2016
COPELAND'S four bathing beaches - managed by Copeland Borough Council - are all clean and two have excellent water cleanliness.
St Bees and Silecroft have excellent water quality, Seascale has good and Haverigg's is 'sufficient.' The findings mean locals and visitors to this picturesque coastline can swim and enjoy the beaches in confidence.
The Environment Agency tests water at designated sites each week from May to September, to ensure the water is safe and clean for swimming and other activities.
These results lead to a rating of excellent, good, sufficient or poor from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The annual rating is based on an average over four years.
Coun Lena Hogg, Copeland's deputy Mayor and portfolio holder for environmental health, said: "This is very good news and it means people can enjoy all four of our beaches in confidence. It's fantastic that two of our beaches, St Bees and Silecroft, received the highest-possible rating of excellent. Clean beaches are an important tool in growing our tourism industry, as well as a vital health and leisure resource for our residents. We are very lucky to have this special and unspoiled coastline and we work hard to keep it safe and clean.
More information about designated bathing waters and the scheme to test their cleanliness can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bathing-waters.
