Just when you thought it was safe to forget the rain and make a break for the beach amid a possible, fleeting breakthrough in the weather this weekend, a report on sea-side pollution released today might make you think again.
Confirmation that this year’s August Bank Holiday marks the climax of a shower-soaked, dreary summer comes in a report by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) showing a distinct increase in pollution on Britain’s beaches.
According to the report, one in eight UK beaches - 71 in total - has suffered a “serious short-term pollution incident” in the first half of the summer, while 16 of the 553 beaches tested failed minimum bathing water quality standards. The tests are based on EC mandatory standards for bacteria. Last year only two of the 520 beaches surveyed failed.
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