Fact Check: "Only 64.2% of England's bathing waters were excellent in 2024."
What We Know
In 2024, the Environment Agency reported that out of 450 designated bathing waters in England, 289 (or 64.2%) met the Excellent standard of the Bathing Water Regulations. This figure indicates a slight decrease from previous years, reflecting changes in water quality assessments and the introduction of new bathing sites that had not been previously monitored (source-1).
The overall compliance with minimum standards was reported at 91.8%, with 37 bathing waters classified as Poor, which is the highest percentage of Poor classifications since the four-tier system was adopted in 2015 (source-2).
Analysis
The claim that 64.2% of England's bathing waters were excellent in 2024 is supported by official statistics from the Environment Agency, which are considered reliable due to their adherence to the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. This code emphasizes impartiality, objectivity, and sound methods in data collection and reporting (source-1).
The data indicates that while the percentage of Excellent bathing waters has decreased, the overall quality of bathing waters has improved over the years, with a significant increase in the number of sites meeting minimum standards (source-3). The introduction of 27 new bathing water sites in 2024, many of which are rivers that typically have poorer water quality, likely contributed to the decrease in the percentage of Excellent classifications (source-2).
This context is crucial for understanding the data; the new designations mean that not all sites have been managed to meet the established standards, which can skew the percentage of Excellent classifications downward.
Conclusion
The claim that only 64.2% of England's bathing waters were excellent in 2024 is True. The statistics provided by the Environment Agency confirm this figure, and the context surrounding the data supports the accuracy of the claim. The decrease in the percentage of Excellent bathing waters can be attributed to the introduction of new sites that had not been previously monitored, rather than a decline in water quality across existing sites.
