Bridlington beach: Fears for tourism after beach given poor water quality rating

Bridlington South member Tim Norman said the Environment Agency’s rating risked putting people off coming to one of the East Riding’s top tourist attractions amid an already difficult economic outlook for the resort.

He said he wanted action on water quality and more clarity about how long the rating would remain in place as local traders gear up for the tourist season.

The Environment Agency can regrade bathing areas only after causes are found and samples show improvements.

An agency spokesperson said it was working closely with Yorkshire Water.

People are being advised against swimming off the beach but the reason for the poor water quality remains a mystery and Bridlington North’s good rating makes pinpointing the cause harder.

Coun Norman said the rating was already taking its toll, with the Bridlington South Beach Boxing Day charity swim organisers angry over having to cancel the annual festive event.

He added that he would raise the issue at East Riding Council’s full meeting this week in a bid to put pressure on the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water to act.

The Yorkshire Party councillor said: “I’m hoping my motion will mean that this issue remains among the Environment Agency’s and Yorkshire Water’s top priorities.

“Bridlington South Beach is a beautiful location, it’s one of the jewels in the crown of the East Riding.

“It brings people to the town, they come for the relaxation and to enjoy the beach and they bring their kids who like to swim in the sea.

“Without the sea, a lot of these families may go to Bridlington’s North Beach, or elsewhere to places like Hornsea. There’s a lot of businesses who rely on those visitors who come and spend their pounds in the town.

“We’ve got a cafe for instance close to South Beach. They could potentially suffer, then there’s the guest houses and hotels.”

Coun Norman added: “It makes you wonder what’s happening. Recently I saw that some shrimp had been washed up close to South Beach.

“I’m not sure what the reason was but I’ve been here 17 years and I’ve never seen that amount of shrimp on the beach before, so it makes you think about what the issue must be in the water.”

The Environment Agency spokesperson said it knew there was much more work to be done to improve water quality at the beach.

“Across Yorkshire, we have seen a rise in the number of excellent bathing waters – up by four in the last year, with 89 per cent of bathing waters rated as good or excellent – in line with last year’s results,” they added.

“We are working hard to protect and improve bathing waters by regulating and holding polluters to account but any drop in standards is disappointing.”