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A record 73% of beaches in the UK have “excellent” water quality because of last summer’s dry weather, according to the Marine Conservation Society.
The lack of rain caused less pollution to filter down from towns and cities to the coasts.
MCS said 538 of 734 UK beaches tested between May and September last year reached the top standard for water quality – 135 more than in 2012.
There were also fewer failures in 2013, with 14 beaches tested last summer failing to reach minimum water quality standards compared with 42 the year before.
The MCS labels beaches against four standards of water quality – recommended, guideline, mandatory and fail.
All monitored beaches in the northeast and southeast of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland reached the minimum bathing water requirements.
Southwest England has the highest record of recommended beaches with 88% hitting the top standard in the MCS Good Beach Guide, published today (Tuesday), while the Isle of Man had the lowest with 26% – although this was a 16% rise on the previous year.
The Channel Islands was the only area to see a drop in the number of beaches considered excellent for its water quality, from 19 to 18, the BBC reported.
Beaches which do not meet the “sufficient” standard will have to display signs warning against bathing in the sea under new EU regulation in two years’ time.