Environment Agency tests water quality at Norfolk beaches

During the summer bathing season, which runs from May to the end of September, Environment Agency officers take between 15 and 20 samples at each of England’s 451 designated bathing waters.

As part of the programme, testing took place in Sheringham on Thursday.

The tests look for two key types of bacteria: E. coli and intestinal enterococci, which are indicators of pollution from animal waste or human sewage.

The samples are sent off to a laboratory in Exeter where they are left to develop in a petri dish for a few days before being analysed. 

Area environment manager, Andrew Raine, in Sheringham (Image: Amy Mackrill/ Newsquest) Andrew Raine, the area environment manager for the Environment Agency, said: “In Britain, 92pc of our bathing waters meet or exceed the World Health Organization’s standards.

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"In Norfolk, 11 of our 16 designated bathing waters are rated excellent, including Sheringham and Cromer.”

However, not all areas fare as well. West Norfolk, particularly along the Wash, has lower water quality, with swimming currently not recommended at Heacham.

This is due to a mix of agricultural runoff and sewage infrastructure issues, but also the result of the high concentration of birdlife in the Ramsar-protected wetlands.

An Environment Agency worker collects a water sample in Sheringham (Image: Amy Mackrill/ Newsquest) The water sample will be sent off to a lab for testing (Image: Amy Mackrill/ Newsquest) Mr Raine added: “We identify the source of pollution using DNA analysis, whether it’s from agriculture, run off from our streets or a sewage issue, and then work with partners like the council and water companies to tackle the cause."

Improvements include UV filtration at sewage works and better monitoring of misconnected pipes that send waste into the wrong systems.

While coastal bathing waters are closely monitored, rivers and lakes such as those in the Broads, popular for swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking, are not classed as bathing waters and so are not tested under the same scheme.

However, Mr Raine said the agency still conducts year-round sampling across rivers and lakes to monitor overall water health.

Sheringham is a Blue Flag beach (Image: Amy Mackrill/ Newsquest) These results are available on the government website, rather than on the public-facing Swimfo site used for beach water quality.

Despite funding cuts to the Environment Agency in recent years, Mr Raine said investment in tackling water issues has increased.

"There are dedicated teams that are tackling the water industry.

"In the past three years, there have been 11 prosecutions of Anglian Water resulting in multi-million-pound fines. 

"We are very much working in partnership with them, encouraging greater investment, but also as a regulator we take action where we need to."