Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of inland waters in (a) Huddersfield, (b) Kirklees and (c) England are safe for (a) wild swimming and (b) other human leisure activities.

The physical safety of swimmers and other water users at inland waters is a matter for the local management of the site. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 are designed to protect water quality and public health insofar as it relates to pollution and have no provision for physical safety.

The numbers of inland designated bathing waters in the areas requested are:

1. Huddersfield: 0
2. Kirklees: 0
3. England: 12

Areas used for other water-based leisure activities are not designated as bathing waters because bathing water monitoring focuses on a single sampling point so is not directly relevant to water-sport participants, who cover a greater distance in the water than bathers.