Water quality around England’s coasts has greatly improved since last year, new figures from Defra have revealed.

Nearly all of England’s bathing waters have met strict quality standards, with almost 99 per cent of England’s bathing waters meeting the minimum European water quality standard, and over 82 per cent meeting the tighter guideline standard.

Environment minister, Dan Rogerson said: “England’s bathing waters have seen record improvements, meeting the highest standard this year and we need to make sure they continue to remain of good quality.

“Having quality bathing water and beaches is not only good for the environment but also boosts tourism and creates a stronger local economy.”

From 2015 the water quality at Britain’s beaches will be measured against stricter levels. The revised EU Bathing Water Directive sets higher water quality standards which are approximately twice as stringent as the current standards.

Dan Rogerson said: “Meeting the tough new water quality targets will be a huge challenge. Everyone from local government to industry and local communities will have a part to play to ensure we continue to meet the new standards and have beaches that people can enjoy.”

Five bathing water sites failed to meet the required standards. This is thought to be due to the effects of very heavy rainfall as pollution from human and animal sources is washed from cities and rural areas into rivers and streams.

Defra and the Environment Agency is discussing with water companies further investment for the 2015 to 2020 period to ensure that bathing water quality continues to improve.

Bathing water results for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published by the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Environment Northern Ireland respectively.