Hi John. Today, the government announced the long-awaited reforms to Bathing Water Regulations in England and Wales. And there's good news and bad...

First the positives. Thanks to our collective campaigning, many of these reforms will help better protect the coastlines, rivers and lakes that we all love so much - full details below.

However, one of the reforms will make it impossible for some locations to ever achieve bathing water status, with the government essentially saying these sites are too polluted to protect. We think this is unacceptable.

Get the full lowdown on what the reforms could mean for you and your community below...

All of these policy wins come following pressure from Surfers Against Sewage and communities calling for change to the regulations:

🎉 Applications are re-open to apply for bathing water status! This is fantastic news for communities who have been in limbo since May 2024 and allows more people to fight to protect their wild waters.

🎉 Fixed bathing season dates have been scrapped, meaning there will be flexibility around monitoring, but we must ensure this doesn’t create more hoops for communities to jump through.

🎉 The end of automatic de-designation. This is a lifeline for sites receiving ‘poor’ classifications year after year, ensuring they aren't written off.

🎉 Plans being developed to include all water users. This means that sites used for water sports, not just swimming, may be more likely to get designation in the future. We need to keep up the pressure to make sure this doesn't get kicked down by government. You can help influence change by evidencing when and how you use your local waterway.

🚫 One of the new reforms could BLOCK polluted swimming spots from getting designated status—meaning no monitoring, no investment, and no pressure on polluters to clean up their mess. 

🧪 The new proposed ‘feasibility test’ means if a site is too polluted and costly to fix, it could be denied bathing water status altogether. No status = no action. Polluters win, water users lose. 

👎 If this had been in place in 2020, 20 sites—including Ogmore-by-Sea and the River Cam—might NEVER have been protected.

😡 This feels like a total snub to communities who are simply asking the government for help in tackling the pollution of their local bathing spots, so that they can enjoy them safely. 

Getting your local waterway designated means it is legally protected. It gives you an avenue to talk to your local authority, MP and polluting companies to improve water quality.

This is a vital part of our work. And it is one of the best things you can do for your local community, wildlife and recreational blue spaces. It improves water quality, protects public health and helps fight sewage polluton.

But let’s be clear—without real action to clean up pollution, the changes announced today don’t go far enough. We need urgent reform of the broken water industry that prioritises public health and the environment over polluters' profits.

Keep up the good fight, John. ✊

For the ocean,

Team SAS