Coast crackdown launched to preserve bathing water quality

Officials from the Environment Agency have confirmed that they will be targeting owners of hotels, camping and caravan sites from Filey to Staithes whose sites are in river catchments which flow directly into designated bathing beaches.

The owners are being urged to ensure their businesses’ sewage systems are treating human waste effectively so that a minimal amount of bacteria finds its way into local streams and the nearest bathing waters.

Environment officer Claire Flanagan admitted that soaring numbers of holidaymakers choosing to take domestic breaks rather than travel abroad amid the economic downturn have placed sewage treatment works under increasing pressure.

She added: “A lot of sewage treatment systems were installed around 15 years ago but as more and more people holiday in the UK, camping and caravan sites have expanded in size. Unfortunately, in a number of cases the treatment systems have stayed the same size meaning that they are now struggling to treat the sewage effectively.

“Bathing water quality in North Yorkshire has improved dramatically over the last two decades, but there is still more work to be done to meet even higher standards. We are calling on people to check their sewage treatment plants and help raise the standard of our local beaches.”

Among the locations that will be targeted is Staithes, which has repeatedly failed bathing standards because of water pollution. It was one of only two beaches, along with Saltburn, in the North-East region which failed to meet standards in a recent survey for the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Beach Guide.

Attempts have already been made to improve water quality at Staithes, which is where the famed explorer Captain James Cook lived as a boy, but the resort’s tight bay means that there is not enough sea movement to effectively disperse the pollution.

However, the Environment Agency stressed that problems are being experienced elsewhere along the coast, especially further south towards Whitby where some of the most popular campsites are located.

The agency’s officials will be visiting sites during the summer to sample the effluent from sewage treatment systems, and have warned that steps will be taken to prosecute if pollution can be linked to specific premises.

The Environment Agency stressed bacteria from human sewage or animal manure not only has a serious impact on human health, it also affects the bio-diversity of the streams running into the sea by stripping the water of oxygen, making it more difficult for species to survive.

New European regulations for bathing water quality are being introduced in the UK which raises the standard for bathing waters. From 2015, all bathing waters will need to meet these standards which are approximately twice as stringent as the current regulations.

It was announced in November last year that Yorkshire Water had joined forces with the Environment Agency and local councils to launch a multi-million-pound scheme to improve the region’s beaches and bathing waters to meet the new European directive.

But the project sparked controversy when it emerged that many of Yorkshire’s favourite seaside haunts – including Staithes and Whitby – are likely to miss out on the £110m package as spending is being targeted at the bigger resorts.