BRITS heading to a popular UK beach have been warned not to swim in the water for the entire YEAR due to safety concerns.
St Mary’s Bay on Romney Marsh in Kent has been slapped with a warning by the Environment Agency.
AlamySt Mary’s Bay in Kent has been slapped with a “do not swim” warning[/caption]
The warning comes after fecal matter was found in the water, leading to unsafe levels of bacteria.
They have now issued anyone visiting the beach with a “do not swim” warning.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the spike, with fears it is due to pollution.
An Environment Agency spokesman told local media: “[We] will continue to work with its partners to fully investigate the reasons for the decline in bathing water quality at St Mary’s Bay.
“All agencies involved are working to identify, remove and reduce the sources of the pollution to ensure that the status of this bathing water improves.
“As part of our investigations, we are monitoring several potential sources of pollution including septic tanks, misconnections and potential sources of diffuse pollution.”
Unless the levels of bacteria decrease, the warning will stay in place for the rest of 2023.
Anyone visiting the area has been told to visit other bathing spots nearby, such as Dymchirch which has a good rating for safety and cleanliness compared to St Mary’s Bay being given a poor rating.
Last summer, Brits were told to stay away from as many as 50 beaches across the UK due to dangerous levels of pollution.
Data revealed by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) found a number of beaches along the coastlines were spotted having sewage leaking into the sea.
The group monitors the water quality at over 400 locations around UK rivers and coastlines.
Affected beaches were near Brighton, Newquay and Skegness.
In 2021, Southern Water was fined a record £90 million for deliberately pumping 16 to 21 billion litres of sewage into the sea between 2010 and 2015.
Here is the full list of beaches with the cleanest water in the UK.
AlamyUnless the safety levels increase, the ban will be in place for all of 2023[/caption] Read More