The dreadful weather of 2007 has caused serious pollution on many of Britain's beaches. Heavy storms swept sewage, street debris and animal waste down to the sea, resulting in 52 of the Good Beach Guide's 500 excellent beaches losing their premier certification. In addition to this, the number of coastal areas that failed to meet EU minimum cleanliness standards rocketed from 17 to 53. Popular holiday resorts such as South Beach in Morecombe, Jubilee Beach in Southend and Cornwall's Summerleaze beach. One in eight beaches suffered serious one-off pollution incidents, creating a major threat to marine wildlife. Suffolk was found to have the cleanest water in the UK whilst the Channel Islands suffered most from the wettest British summer on record. Swimmers and surfers have been warned not enter the sea on these beaches as the bacteria in the water will put them at significant risk of stomach upsets and eye infections. This will come as a blow to UK tourist offices keen on encouraging Brits to holiday at home.
However, it is not only Mother Nature dirtying Britain's beauty spots. The amount of rubbish left on our beaches has risen by 67 per cent in the past ten years and this has led to more than 170 different species of sea animals and birds becoming injured or dying from the litters of plastic bottles and carrier bags on our beaches. Although most trash is left by holiday makers, ships are also responsible for throwing rubbish overboard. The size of creatures affected range from fish to whales, making rubbish a huge threat to marine ecosystems. Volunteers for the Marine Conservation Society recently cleared a phenomenal 346,000 items of litter from 104 UK beaches.
Don't let these disappointing reports put you off visiting Britain's stunning coastline. The Good Beach Guide's website is this week promoting the breathtakingly beautiful Constantine Bay near Padstow in Cornwall as its Beach of the Week. The Marine Conservation Society urges British beach lovers to bring eco cloth bags to carry their belongings that they can use again and reuse their plastic bottles to make drinks rather than throwing them away. Smokers are also encouraged to dispose of their cigarette butts in appropriate assigned places. In recent years, Britain has made huge improvements to water quality around the country so don't let the affects of the storm deter you from enjoying the recommended UK beaches.
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This post was written by Grace Simpson on June 3, 2008