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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to allocate funding for the introduction of a (a) traffic-light system and (b) publicly accessible platform in the context of improving the communication of bathing-water results.

Swimfo, the Environment Agency’s (EA) bathing water quality website, provides details on over 450 bathing waters, classifications, pollution sources, and seasonal water quality results. From May to September, Swimfo posts daily forecasts for over 170 sites where water quality may be temporarily affected by factors like rainfall or tides, helping the public make informed choices quickly.

The EA is exploring redevelopment opportunities to enhance communication and service delivery. This will include working with the public and key stakeholders to understand their needs and preferences for future developments of the system. The EA have also introduced several stabilisation measures to reduce service disruptions and will continue to enhance the resilience of Swimfo ahead of the next bathing season.