The water quality at every designated bathing site in Yorkshire

It means the Environment Agency will be carrying out regular testing of the water quality at all the designated bathing sites in the country until the end of September, to ensure all of the locations are safe to swim.

As well as all of Yorkshire's beautiful beaches, the agency will also look at the water quality of England’s first ever designated bathing water on a stretch of river, on the Wharfe in Ilkley.

The water will be given a rating of either excellent, good, sufficient or poor. In the autumn, the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs will publish its classification for each site.

Of Yorkshire's 21 sites, nine are currently classed as good, eight are classed as good, two are sufficient, one is poor and one has no current classification.

Environment Agency Chair Emma Howard Boyd said: “Before the pandemic, coastal tourism in England generated £13.7 billion, supported 10,000 tourism related jobs with 15 to 20 percent of employment in coastal locations linked to tourism, in some places over 50 percent.

"Public confidence in bathing water quality is key to the tourism industry as well as people’s health and wellbeing. We monitor sites and provide pollution risk forecasting at over 170 sites throughout the bathing water season so people understand the local situation.

“Targeted regulation and investment over several decades on the coast have driven significant improvements to bathing waters, but there is work to do inland.

"Water companies, industry and farmers need to meet regulatory requirements or face legal action, and there are small steps we can all take to help. For example by never flushing away wet wipes or plastic products like nappies so they don’t end up in the water.”