Press release: “Poor” Bathing Water Highlights Need For Change
Concerns have been raised over the “poor” water quality rating at Edisford Bridge, Clitheroe, the Ribble Catchment’s first designated river bathing water site. Despite achieving Bathing Water Status earlier this year, thanks to the application by Ribble Rivers Trust, the newly released classification underscores the urgent need for action. Action to tackle the causes of the pollution that are affecting the river, but also regulatory reforms to better protect water users and hold polluters accountable.
Edisford Bridge was awarded Bathing Water Status in recognition of its popularity and potential as a site for safe water recreation. However, this year’s assessment highlights systemic shortcomings in current monitoring and regulatory approaches, putting the site, and other much-loved paddling spots, at risk of automatic de-designation.
Jack Spees, CEO of Ribble Rivers Trust, comments:
“Edisford Bridge is a hugely valuable space swimmers, paddlers, and other water and is visited by thousands of users each year. This year’s poor water quality rating is disappointing but not surprising. It serves as a call to action for strengthening the regulations that underpin bathing water designations and addressing the root causes of pollution.”
How can we take action?
One key issue is the limited monitoring period during the bathing season. Classifications are based on samples collected over just 20 weeks each year. Extending the monitoring period would provide a more comprehensive picture of water quality issues throughout the year and increase accountability for pollution outside the summer season.
Another challenge is the reliance on a single monitoring location. Introducing multiple monitoring points would improve the accuracy of ratings, help pinpoint pollution sources, and provide water users with more detailed information about safety at their chosen sites.
The current system also risks de-designating sites that fail to meet quality standards for five consecutive years. This approach effectively abandons polluted sites, instead of addressing their problems, leaving local communities without access to clean water for recreation. Ribble Rivers Trust is calling for the removal of automatic de-designation, ensuring that these sites remain protected and supported rather than neglected.
Additionally, even before designation, concerns were raised about the feasibility criteria used to award Bathing Water Status. Sites deemed too polluted or too expensive to fix are often excluded, leaving many well-loved locations without the protection or monitoring they need.
Ribble Rivers Trust is also advocating for broader protections for recreational waters. Current Bathing Water Regulations also focuses solely on swimmers, overlooking other users such as kayakers, paddleboarders, anglers, and paddlers – many of whom are young children. The Trust believes that all locations with significant public use should be given the chance to improve, regardless of the perceived cost or difficulty, and supports a move to expand protections to all recreational waters.
What’s next for Edisford Bridge?
Achieving meaningful improvements in water quality requires collaboration between communities, government agencies, and polluters and the recent designation at Edisford Bridge has already demonstrated the power of collective action, with local support driving the application process. However, the poor classification underscores that Bathing Water Status is just the first step in safeguarding these essential spaces.
“We cannot allow popular sites to be dismissed as ‘too polluted to fix,’” continues Jack Spees. “If we fail to act, we risk losing spaces like Edisford Bridge to de-designation, instead of using them as an opportunity to drive accountability and change.”
