Busy ports, famous beaches, nature reserves and miles of unspoilt land – the North West coast, which stretches from the Wirral peninsular in the south to Gretna in the north, is as diverse as it is long. There are 29 beaches designated as bathing waters for swimming or paddling. But our much loved coastal region is also much used. With a population of around 7 million, thousands of visitors flocking to the area every week, and numerous industrial sites, the region serves many needs. That’s why we're determined to help keep this precious area clean and safe.
Our wonderful coastline
Bathing waters map
Use our map to find where you want a dip and get water quality updates too
CSOs
Combined sewer overflows play a vital role in preventing flooding in our streets and homes, but they can affect the quality of bathing water
Protecting our waters
Investments we’re making and steps we’re taking to protect the sea you swim in
How can you help us?
We can all do our bit to help keep the North West's bathing waters clean.
LOVEmyBEACH
We've partnered with LoveMyBeach to urge people and organisations across the North West to support efforts to improve the quality of bathing waters.
In 1988, 23 out of the 29 designated bathing waters failed mandatory standards, but in 2014 all of the North West's beaches passed. Our coast is cleaner than it has ever been.
In 2015, new and tougher standards were introduced and 90 per cent of North West beaches reached at least satisfactory standard. A number of different factors were to blame for the small number of failures, including rainwater running off agricultural land, dog owners not cleaning up after their pets and issues linked to our wastewater network. Taking the North West as a whole, the sewers are only about 30 per cent of the problem.
In 2019 all of the designated bathing waters in the North West achieved at least satisfactory standard.
There is still work to be done, and we remain committed to playing our part in making sure your beaches are clean, safe and something to be proud of.
What are the challenges?
Sewage disposal, animal droppings, heavy rainfall – keeping bathing waters clean comes with some hurdles!
Bathing water quality
31 stretches of the North West coast are designated 'bathing waters'. Find out how they earned their status and what guidelines we have to follow.