Teignmouth Town Beach meets tough new bathing water standards tests
A big ‘thank you’ has been given to the Teignmouth community today for ‘loving your beach’ and helping Teignmouth Town Beach reach tough new EU bathing water quality standards.
It means every beach in Teignbridge meets the new classifications.
The long-running Love Your Beach campaign, involving a range of organisations, has been championing Teignmouth’s cause and working hard to investigate the cause of reduced water quality, find solutions and inform residents, businesses and visitors about what they can do to help improve the quality of the sea that they swim in.
The campaign for improvements has been driven by the Love Your Beach Action Group, a collaborative call-to-action approach involving Teignbridge District Council, Teignmouth Town Council, the Environment Agency, Teignmouth Harbour Commission, South West Water, the Town Centre and Development Manager, the Teign Estuary Partnership, Teignmouth Tourist Information Centre and district and town councillors.
The campaign was set up in response to concerns that Teignmouth may have been classed as ‘poor’ under the new guidelines introduced for the first time this year – meaning Teignbridge would have had a legal obligation to display signs advising against swimming.
All those involved have taken action to reduce pollution and make significant improvements meaning Teignmouth Town Beach has been rated as ‘sufficient’.
Efforts are now being made to build on the great work, make it even better and help Teignmouth Town Beach meet the ‘good’ standard.
It is important to understand that the ratings are based on a rolling programme so an unforeseen future pollution event could end up affecting the water quality meaning classifications can change and be revised down. With this in mind we really need people to continue with their efforts.
Cllr George Gribble, Teignbridge District Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive member for Recreation and Leisure, said: “We are delighted that Teignmouth Town Beach has received this rating.
“Water quality has a huge impact on health, local tourism and economic growth. The Love Your Beach Action Group shows what can be achieved when local authorities, water companies, businesses, water users and local people come together to deliver better outcomes.
“The efforts of everyone involved should be applauded and thanks go to everyone who has been to Teignmouth Town Beach and done their bit too – whether it’s been taking litter home or organising litter picks, not feeding the seagulls, or picking up after their dog. No matter how small, it makes a huge difference.
"Residents, traders and visitors have been really supportive of the campaign and we’d urge them to keep up the great work.
“We are not complacent though and aspire to see Teignmouth rated as ‘good’. Teignbridge will continue to work with all partners to ensure bathing water quality is as high as it possibly can be and encourages everyone to ‘Love Your Beach’.”
The Environment Agency’s Dr Peter Fox, Director of Land and Water, said: “Water quality at beaches is better than any time in living memory, with dramatic improvements having been made over the last few decades. The Environment Agency has led successful partnership work to monitor, investigate and reduce pollution, which has benefited the environment and people with nearly all of England’s beaches (97%) meeting the new stringent water quality targets.
“The Environment Agency will continue to encourage water companies, local authorities, farmers, and businesses to work together to maintain and improve water quality. The results are based on samples taken by the Environment Agency over the last four years. Information about each beach is available on the Bathing Water Explorer website.”
South West Water’s Richard Gilpin said: “We are delighted to have played our part in helping Teignmouth Town beach achieve the new standards by completing our £671,000 scheme to deliver even cleaner seas off Teignmouth in time for the start of the 2015 bathing water season.”
Teignmouth Harbour Master and Chief Executive Officer of Teignmouth Harbour Commission Commander David Vaughan, and Chairman of the Teign Estuary Partnership, said:
“Teignmouth Harbour Commission was delighted to be part of a Group with the common purpose of leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of meeting the new European Bathing Water Quality Standards for Teignmouth beach. It is a massive relief to know that we will not have to place notices advising people not to swim in the sea at Teignmouth.
“Also speaking as Chairman of the Teign Estuary Partnership, I feel this is great news and is a great advertisement for the people of the Estuary and Coast working together for the good of all.”
Teignmouth and Dawlish’s Town Development Manager Tracy Scranage said: “As a member of the Love Your Beach Action Group I know how hard everyone has worked to attain the new rating but we must also be well aware that further improvements have to be made. e will continue to work with our partners to achieve this.
"eignmouth has one of the finest sandy beaches and elegant promenades in the south of England and our residents and visitors alike can continue to enjoy bathing for many years to come.”
Teignbridge District Council’s Executive member for Health and Wellbeing and Teignmouth Town Councillor Sylvia Russell said: "To hear the news that Teignmouth Town bathing waters in particular now meet the stringent new Bathing Water standards is recognition of the capital investment and goodwill from all the partners involved in the Love Your Beach campaign. It is essential to build on this success to keep and improve our ratings for the future."
Teignbridge District Councillor and Teignmouth Town Councillor David Cox said: “This is great news; the success is very much down to all the different agencies working together, but above all the community of Teignmouth rising to the challenge.”
Teignbridge District Councillor, Teignmouth Town Councillor and current Mayor Cllr Jacqui Orme, said: “I am extremely pleased that we have received this classification and it is testimony to the efforts of the 'Love Your Beach' campaign co-ordinators who organised a range of awareness days which I was delighted to participate in.
“Tourism is vital to our local economy and I would like to thank the local residents who took the message seriously, and we will continue to make visitors aware of what they can do to ensure that the water quality continues to improve.”
Outcomes achieved include:
- South West Water’s £671,000 investment in a 500 cubic metre underground storm storage tank to reduce the number of storm discharges from the sewerage network during extremely wet weather
- The Environment Agency rectifying misconnected drains from households and businesses that were discharging into local rivers instead of the foul drainage system.
- Working Teignmouth Pier’s owner and South Devon-based WTC Pest Control to implement a harmless visual deterrent underneath the Pier that discourages birds from roosting. Teignbridge secured a grant of £15,000 from the EA to trial and extend the scheme after results showed a reduction in pollution. This is alongside other methods to reduce pigeon and seagull guano getting into the water – a contributor to pollution.
- Specific Love Your Beach campaigns, business forums and community events to raise awareness and promote practical steps that everyone can take to look after the beach.
- A range of community engagement campaigns including the Environment Agency’s Yellow Fish campaign which raises awareness about where waste ends up if it is put down the drain. A yellow fish stencil is put beside drains to remind people that anything like oil or fats may go directly to the nearest beach or bathing water - causing pollution and killing wildlife.
- Putting electronic signs along the seafront advising swimmers about daily bathing water quality predictions in real-time so they can make informed choices about whether they swim in the sea on each particular day. Warnings are given when reduced bathing water quality is predicted due to pollution from heavy rainfall.
Everyone can check the water quality standards for the local beach on the new Bathing Water Explorer website: http://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles
