Residents and visitors in Havant are being urged to have their say on proposed changes to how bathing water quality is monitored and classified.
For the first time since 2013, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is looking to change the bathing water regulations that apply to England’s seas, rivers and lakes.
In November, Defra launched a consultation on their plans to modernise the current regulations, and people have until December 23rd to take part in the consultation before it closes.
Some of the proposed changes include:
- Removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs from May to September) from the regulations to allow for a more flexible approach to monitoring, extending the dates of the bathing season to better reflect when people use bathing waters.
- Expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers’ to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers.
- Further considering water quality and public safety when applications for new bathing waters are assessed.
- Introducing multiple testing points at bathing water sites.
- Ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after 5 consecutive years of a site being rated ‘poor’, which can damage local tourism and businesses. Instead, underperforming sites will be individually reviewed by regulators, taking into account their unique circumstances.
Defra said the proposed changes should improve water quality and conditions for cold water swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts.
Havant Borough Council’s Leader, Councillor Phil Munday, said: “We know how passionate our community is about the standard and safety of our beaches and bathing waters, so we would urge as many people as possible to take part in this consultation and make sure their voices are heard.
“As a council, we have committed in our Corporate Strategy to do all we can to protect the quality of our local environment. We undertook our own sampling in Langstone Harbour to get a better picture of the water quality there as we know that although the harbour is used all year round by water sports enthusiasts, it is not currently monitored by Defra or the Environment Agency.
“We welcome this consultation as it provides real potential for change and for our rivers and seas to be made safer for more users, all year round.
“I have written to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Reed MP, in support of these changes and to offer our help to design and implement the new regulations to ensure they bring the maximum benefit.”
To find out more about the consultation, follow the link below:
Bathing water reforms to consider water sports and water quality - GOV.UK
To take part in the consultation, follow the link below: