Bathing waters off Cleethorpes and Humberston Fitties rated 'Good' in latest survey

Come on in! the bathing beach at Humberston Fitties

THE quality of bathing waters off the beaches in Cleethorpes and Humberston have been classified as 'Good' in an annual survey published this week.

Although a classification of 'Excellent' would obviously have been better, the rating is better than  the two rungs below - 'Sufficient' and 'Poor'.

The ratings from the Environment Agency will come both as a relief to Anglian Water which overseas discharge into the sea and as a reassurance to all those individuals and organisations with a stake in the holiday industry.

During the May-to-September bathing water season, the EA carries out weekly checks for pollution with a particular focus on bugs that are potentially harmful to human health - the likes of escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci. 

It states: "Values can vary, depending on the weather, pollution from agricultural and urban sources and storm water overflows." 

At its Newton Marsh treatment works in Tetney, Anglian Water has been killing off bacteria by means of ultra-violet disinfection since 1995.

Continuous upgrading has also occurred at its other treatment sites such as Pyewipe in  Grimsby and on Kings Road, Cleethorpes.

However problems can arise - especially after heavy rain - with outflows from significant sources such as the Buck Beck, Laceby Beck, Louth Navigation Canal and the River Freshney.

In 2023, the consequence of this were that short term pollution alerts had to be issued

Nationwide, tests were carried out on 450 bathing waters over the five months of summer.

Of these,  289 (64.2 per cent) were deemed 'Excellent' while 37 (8.2 per cent) did not meet the minimum standard, and were thus classified as 'Poor'.

Says the  Environment Agency:  "The majority of sewers in England are 'combined sewers' and carry both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. 

"A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. 

"The overflow prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. 

"An emergency overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage in the sewerage system."

The statement continues: "Misconnections occur when waste water pipes are plumbed into surface water drains instead of the foul water sewerage system. 

"This can give rise to pollution when the waste water is discharged directly to the environment through the surface water drain. 

"For example, a washing machine or WC may be incorrectly plumbed so that it discharges to the surface drain rather than the foul sewage drain."

The statement goes on: "We work with North East Lincolnshire Council  to identify and rectify issues that may impact bathing water quality. 

"NELC promotes sustainable tourism and is involved in a number of campaigns to raise awareness and to reduce contamination from pollution, litter and dog fouling."

The EA also works with with private landowners, large caravan parks operators, farmers and other  businesses to provide advice and guidance on best practice.

Concerns are sometimes expressed in Cleethorpes when brown foam appears at the edge of the water or on the beach.

However, the EA says this is due to algae in the water breaking down. 

It notes: "The risks to human health from contact, ingestion or inhalation with marine algae are considered to be low. 

"However, some individuals may be more sensitive and display some reactions. 

"A common marine algae found in UK coastal waters is phaeocystis, which is often mistaken for sewage as it forms foam and a brown scum, but it is non-toxic."                     

The blue water of Cleethorpes - rated 'Good' for bathing by Environment Agency