Consultation outcome
Reforms to The Bathing Water Regulations 2013
Applies to England and Wales
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
We received 1,526 responses to this consultation. Subject to Parliamentary and Senedd approval, we intend to proceed with planned regulatory reform for the 3 Core Reforms and 9 Technical Amendments outlined in the consultation.
Original consultation
Consultation description
We want to know what you think about:
- removal of automatic de-designation after 5 years of ‘poor’ water quality
- changes to the designation criteria of bathing sites
- removing the fixed dates of the bathing season from regulations
We also need your views on proposed Technical Amendments, as well as potential upcoming reforms on:
- the definition of ‘bathers’
- the introduction of multiple monitoring points at bathing sites
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Welsh Government may respond differently to the outcomes of the consultation.
You can read the Welsh version of the bathing waters consultation.
Updates to this page
Published 12 November 2024
Last updated 12 March 2025
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Added the summary of responses and government response.
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First published.