Sudbury’s River Stour secures official bathing water status from Government in boost for long-term monitoring of health

The River Stour in Sudbury has been officially designated as a bathing water, in a boost for the campaign to ensure its long-term health.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the River Stour as one of 27 waterways across England to receive the status – bringing the national total to 451 sites.

During the 2024 bathing water season – which starts this Wednesday and runs until September – the river will benefit from weekly water quality monitoring by the Environment Agency, with the results published online.

The authority will also assess whether action is needed to reduce pollution levels – working with farmers, water companies and the local community to achieve this.

Robbie Moore, the Government’s Water Minister, said: “The value our bathing waters bring is incredibly valuable, providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country.

“I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year.

“These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring to ensure bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water and enable action to be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met.”

The Government also announced plans for a consultation launching later this year, on proposed reforms to bathing water regulations.

As part of this process, Defra pledged seek public and stakeholder views on extending the definition of ‘bathers’ to include a wider range of river users, such as rowers, kayakers and paddle boarders.

Alan Lovell, chairman of the Environment Agency, said: “The importance of England’s bathing waters for residents and visitors alike cannot be understated.

“This is why the Environment Agency provides rigorous testing to ensure that bathers can make informed decisions before swimming in one of our 451 sites.

“Overall, bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade, due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency, and the good work carried out by partners and local groups.

“We know that improvements can take time and investment from the water industry, farmers and local communities, but where the investment is made, standards can improve.”

The bathing water designation follows a year-long campaign by the River Stour Trust, supported by Sudbury Town Council, which applied for the status in response to concerns about the river’s condition.