The 10 dirtiest UK beaches to avoid

Britain’s beaches made headlines last year as sewage spilled into England’s seas had more than doubled with a total of 3.6 million hours of spillages from water companies, according to the Environment Agency.

A recent study by waste collection company, Clear It Waste has found which UK beaches are ranked the worst for water quality if you’re looking to enjoy a swim this summer. 

The research examined over 400 beaches across the UK between 2018 to 2024, looking at various factors relating to the water surrounding them, including suspension due to sewage, the average Intestinal Enterococci count (E. faecalis) and the Escherichia coli count (E. coli). The study then determined an overall water cleanliness score out of ten. 

Key Findings:

• Wharfe at Cromwheel, Illkley, is the best beach to avoid for swimmers with the highest count of E.coli cfu per 100ml (839) and an overall cleanliness score of 1.65/10
• Blackpool Central has the lowest count of E.coli cfu per 100ml (99) in the top 10 
• Four of the waters surrounding Blackpool’s beaches have been ranked as some of the UK’s ‘dirtiest’.

Intestinal Enterococci (E. faecalis) is a bacteria typically found in the gut and bowels. The E. faecalis counts in this study indicate the contamination of faecal matter into water. Symptoms of E. faecalis exposure can include fever, nausea and vomiting to name a few.

Escherichia Coli (E. coli) is bacteria typically found in the intestines of humans and animals, if a person is exposed to it symptoms can include diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps. The E. coli counts in this study are a strong indicator of sewage or animal waste contamination. 

The colony forming unit (cfu/100ml) is a measure of viable colonogenic cell numbers in CFU/mL. These are indications of the number of cells that remain viable enough to proliferate and form small colonies.

The UK’s top 10 beaches swimmers are likely to want to avoid

Beach	District	Normalised weighted pollution risk level /10	Suspensions due to sewage (2024)	Average E. faecalis Count (cfu/100ml)*	Average E. Coli Count (cfu/100ml)*	Overall water cleanliness score/10
Wharfe at Cromwheel, Ilkley	Bradford	0	0	1579	839	1.65
St Annes	Fylde	4.8	1	281	145	6.24
St Annes North	Fylde	7.5	1	374	156	6.24
Combe Martin	Combe Martin	9.9	0	168	159	6.26
Haverigg	Copeland	5.7	0	438	162	6.48
Blackpool North	Blackpool	10	2	178	143	6.56
Scarborough South Bay	Scarborough	8.8	0	74	146	6.76
Weston-super-Mare Uphill Slipway	North Somerset	9	0	139	133	6.79
Weston Main	North Somerset	8.1	0	112	132	6.86
Blackpool Central	Blackpool	8.9	2	167	99	7.02

The Wharfe at Cromwheel, Ilkley, is the UK’s top beach for swimmers to avoid, scoring just 1.65/10 for overall water cleanliness. 

Located in the Bradford district, the waters surrounding this beach have been impacted by an average E. faecalis count of 1,579 cfu/100ml, the highest of all UK waters analysed in the study. 

Neighbouring Blackpool Airport, St Annes and St Annes North both take the second spot, with an overall cleanliness score of 6.24. However, Annes North has a higher average E.coli count of 156 cfu/100ml, 11 units higher than St Annes Beach.

Last year Blackpool’s beaches received 78 pollution risk warnings by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs suggesting that holiday makers may want to avoid enjoying a dip in the sea.

To make matters worse, in June 2023, Blackpool North received a warning due to the sewage in the water, advising members of the public to avoid entering and now they host a water quality score of just 6.56/10.

Combe Martin came in fourth on the list of beaches to avoid for those looking to enjoy a swim, scoring 6.26/10 overall for water cleanliness. 

The beach in Combe Martin’s score can be attributed to a water assessment classification of good, despite hosting the highest pollution risk level of 9.9/10 of all beaches and an E. coli count of 159 cfu/100ml.

With a score of 6.48/10 for total water cleanliness, Haveringg in Copeland places it as the fifth beach to sit on the sand and avoid the sea. It hosts the second highest E. faecalis count of 438 cfu/100ml and E. coli count of 162 cfu/100ml.

Comparatively, Fistral South has been named the best beach for swimmers after scoring an outstanding 9.99/10 for overall water cleanliness. 

Located in Cornwall, the waters surrounding this beach have been labelled as excellent for the past four years, and is a top venue for major international surfing competitions, making it a much loved setting for holiday makers, water babies and water sports super fans.