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98% of Scottish bathing waters continue to meet strict environmental standards

This long-term positive trend for Scottish bathing water quality has been demonstrated in sampling and analysis carried out by Scotland's environment regulator over the summer.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) work with regulated operators and stakeholders across the country and have driven millions of pounds of investment to bring about changes needed to make our bathing waters a success story.

For the 2024 bathing season Scotland's bathing water classifications will be:

• 38 (43%) Excellent
• 37 (42%) Good
• 12 (13%) Sufficient
• 2 (2%) Poor

Ruth Stidson, SEPA's Principal Scientist for bathing waters, said:

"Scotland started this bathing water season with more bathing waters than ever and a record-breaking number rated excellent. I'm delighted to say we'll start next year just as strongly.

"Our bathing waters have the best water quality since 2015, when tighter standards first came into force. We now have an additional five designated bathing waters where we monitor water quality to protect human health. Over this time those with the highest excellent classification has increased from 17 to 38, and the number with a poor classification has fallen from 17 to 2.

"Being outdoors can provide many physical and mental health benefits. Our beaches offer opportunities for physical activities and social interaction and earlier this year I saw personally how much having designated bathing water meant to the local community at Wardie Bay.

"SEPA's monitoring data has provided crucial evidence to drive millions in investment and we've worked with businesses, farmers and land managers across the country to help them understand how they can make changes to protect water quality. All these successes show that, while it can take time to see big improvements, they are possible - and SEPA will keep monitoring, reporting, enforcing, encouraging and challenging for the future of out water environment."

Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan said:

"Scotland now has the highest number of designated bathing water sites ever, with the vast majority classified as good or excellent. This demonstrates the benefits of our continued investment in protecting and improving bathing waters across the country. However, we are not complacent and will continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality, to make sure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy them."

Success stories for 2024

Scotland's newest bathing water, Wardie Bay in Edinburgh, will be rated as Good for its first classification in 2024. The location was designated by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transitions, Mairi McAllan, following an application from Wardie Bay Beachwatch and The Wild Ones.

Just along the coast in East Lothian, the first bathing water in Scotland to be re-designated will also be classified as Good. Fisherrow Sands was de-designated in 2020 following five years of Poor classifications. It was re-designated following work between SEPA, the Scottish Government, Scottish Water, East Lothian Council and wider stakeholders to drive improvements. Over £3 million has been spent on works to upgrade wastewater pumping stations, resolve multiple misconnections and make improvements to the sewer network to reduce spills.

Future challenges

Pressures on bathing water can include overflows from the drainage network and misconnections from homes and businesses. Agricultural run-off and bacteria from dog fouling and gulls can also be factors. Some sites have a legacy of complex inter-linked issues that need individual assessments and unique solutions.

The 2 bathing waters with a Poor classification, Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) and Lower Largo, both have ongoing improvement plans in place.

Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) had been achieving Sufficient after previous work was carried out by Scottish Water. Following a Poor classification last year, an enhanced monitoring program has been carried out to identify potential sources of pollution, SEPA will continue to work with regulated operators and stakeholders to explore solutions to improve water quality at this location.

At Lower Largo, SEPA has required Scottish Water to conduct comprehensive studies into the sewerage infrastructure to identify any necessary upgrade requirements. Surveillance and monitoring has included CCTV and flow surveys of the sewer network; intensive water quality sampling of the sea and watercourses; a survey (via boats) to map the seabed; tidal current profile and dispersion testing to understand how discharges disperse to the sea and nearby rivers. This work also identified some misconnected properties, which have now been connected to the public sewerage system correctly.

Significant further work and investment are ongoing towards achieving the infrastructure improvements in the Lower Largo area necessary to bring about improved bathing water quality.

Notes to editors

• Bathing waters classifications are calculated at the end of the bathing water season and apply to each bathing water for the duration of the following season. The are calculated using data from the 4 previous years.
• Classifications are available on SEPA's website
• Misconnections mean a property's wastewater is connected into the surface water network, or surface water drainage is connected to the foul sewer network. These can occur when a property is being built, or when modifications are made to a property's plumbing or drainage.

Bathing water quality monitoring and predication

• Scotland experiences some of the wettest weather in Europe. Heavy rain can have an impact on water quality at bathing waters due to pollutants being washed into the rivers from sewage treatment systems, roads and pavements.
• Scotland's official bathing water season runs between 1 June and 15 September. Pre-season sampling is carried out during May.
• Throughout the season, SEPA's specialist teams sample the designated waters providing regular water quality information which is published on the SEPA website. Monitoring water quality in this way means SEPA can provide information on water quality for bathing and develop a strategy for any water quality improvements needed.
• Electronic messaging signs, at selected bathing waters across Scotland, provide real-time predications of water quality during the season.

Help improve our beaches and coastlines

• Communities and visitors can help to protect our water environment, even when they're not there.
• It is important that people understand the impact what they flush away can have on the environment - and their local bathing water.
• Every year Scottish Water teams deal with around 36,000 blockages, costing customers about £7 million annually, and around 80% of those are caused by people flushing the wrong items down the toilet - particularly wet wipes - or pouring fats, oil and grease down the sink. These meld to cause blockages in the sewer system and intense rainfall can then cause spills of pollution into the environment.
• Whether you are home, at work or on holiday, Scottish Water provide on how to protect the network, and Scotland's water environment, all year round at Scottish Water - Nature calls

Full list of 2023/24 classifications

• Aberdeen - Excellent
• Aberdour (Silversands) - Excellent
• Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands) - Good
• Achmelvich - Excellent
• Anstruther (Billow Ness) - Excellent
• Arbroath (West Links) - Good
• Ayr (South Beach) - Good
• Balmedie - Excellent
• Barassie - Good
• Brighouse Bay - Good
• Broad Sands - Good
• Broughty Ferry - Excellent
• Burntisland - Good
• Carnoustie - Excellent
• Carrick - Good
• Coldingham - Excellent
• Collieston - Good
• Crail (Roome Bay) - Excellent
• Cruden Bay - Excellent
• Cullen Bay - Excellent
• Culzean - Excellent
• Dhoon Bay - Sufficient
• Dores - Sufficient
• Dornoch - Excellent
• Dunbar (Belhaven) - Sufficient
• Dunbar (East) - Good
• Dunnet - Excellent
• Elie (Harbour) and Earlsferry - Excellent
• Elie (Ruby Bay) - Excellent
• Ettrick Bay - Good
• Eyemouth - Sufficient
• Findhorn - Excellent
• Fisherrow Sands - Good
• Fraserburgh (Philorth) - Excellent
• Fraserburgh (Tiger Hill) - Good
• Gairloch Beach - Excellent
• Ganavan - Excellent
• Girvan - Sufficient
• Gullant - Excellent
• Heads of Ayr - Good
• Inverboyndie - Good
• Irvine - Good
• Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) - Poor
• Kinghorn (Pettycur) - Good
• Kingsbarns - Excellent
• Kirkcaldy (Seafield) - Excellent
• Largs (Pencil Beach) - Good
• Leven - Sufficient
• Loch Morlich - Excellent
• Longniddry - Good
• Lossiemouth (East) - Good
• Lower Largo - Poor
• Lunan Bay - Excellent
• Lunderston Bay - Good
• Luss Bay - Sufficient
• Machrihanish - Excellent
• Maidens - Sufficient
• Millport Bay - Excellent
• Monifieth - Good
• Montrose - Excellent
• Mossyard - Good 
• Nairn (Central) Good
• Nairn (East) - Good
• North Berwick (Milsey Bay) - Sufficient
• North Berwick (West) - Excellent
• Pease Bay - Excellent
• Peterhead (Lido) - Excellent
• Portobello (Central) - Sufficient
• Portobello (West) - Sufficient
• Prestwick - Excellent
• Rockcliffe - Good
• Rosehearty - Good
• Rosemarkie - Good
• Saltcoats/Ardrossan - Good
• Sand Beach - Excellent
• Sandyhills - Good
• Seacliff - Good
• Seamill - Good
• Seton Sands - Good
• Southerness - Good
• St Andrews (East Sands) - Excellent
• St Andrews (West Sands) - Excellent
• Stonehaven - Good
• Thorntonloch - Excellent
• Thurso - Good
• Troon (South Beach) - Excellent
• Wardie Bay - Good
• Whitesands - Excellent
• Yellow Craig - Sufficient