All clear in water-quality tests on region's beaches

The Marine Conservation Society said today more than half the UK's beaches had excellent water quality in checks during 2009 in the wake of problems in previous years caused by pollution from heavy rainfall.

The number of sites failing tests fell from 66 to 41.

The coast from Lincolnshire to Northumberland was one of the most improved in the UK, with 70 per cent of beaches recommended compared with 54 per cent last year. None failed the minimum standard compared with five last year, including Staithes, mainly owing to lower rainfall.

But the society warns the situation may deteriorate when stricter bathing water standards are introduced in 2015. This could affect popular sites including Robin Hood's Bay and Bridlington's south beach.

Eleven of Yorkshire's beaches were recommended and 10 given a basic pass. All Lincolnshire's beaches were recommended.

Overall in the UK, 421 bathing spots (55 per cent) were recommended, up from 388 (50 per cent) last year. But the conservation group said tests showed water quality had not returned to the record highs of 2006, when 505 were recommended, because of extremely wet summers since then.

Higher seasonal rainfall causes a network of sewer overflows to discharge raw sewage onto some beaches, it said.

The high level of rain also washes pollutants such as animal waste, fertilisers and rubbish from farmland and cities into rivers and to the sea.

According to the Met Office, 2007 and 2008 combined were the wettest summers on record, and levels of rainfall were 42 per cent above average in summer 2009.

The society only recommends beaches if they exceed the existing higher "guideline" European water quality standards and are not affected by inadequately treated continuous sewage discharge.

Beaches which only achieve European mandatory minimum water quality levels get a basic pass and those which do not make that grade are given a "fail" rating.

But the society warned more than 80 beaches around England and Wales will fail to meet even minimum standards under a more stringent EU regime without action to improve them now.

The society's coastal pollution officer, Thomas Bell, said the beaches which are likely to fail in the future all have long-term water quality

problems – with the combined sewer overflows partly to blame.

He warned that in a recession, authorities may be tempted to take the "cheap alternative" to fixing the pollution problems the beaches face, and simply stop recommending them as bathing spots.

"Our main concern is that these 80 sites that have been identified as being vulnerable at the moment do get improved and the cheap alternative isn't taken, which is to take them off the list of official bathing sites," he said.

Christine Tuckett, Environment Agency bathing water spokeswoman, said: "Everyone has a part to play in improving bathing water quality.

"As well as using new technology, we are working with local communities to further improve our bathing waters in the coming years."