More inland bathing spots coming to West Devon 

Devon and Cornwall’s beach bathing waters ratings have increased to good or excellent. Credit: PA

More inland bath spots could be coming to West Devon in a move that is hoped will improve water quality standards.

South West Water and the Environment Agency said four applications are currently being considered for bathing water status on the River Dart and they expect more inland sites to be proposed.

Devon and Cornwall’s beach bathing water ratings have increased to good or excellent for water quality and South West Water says its priority is keeping them that way. 

In West Devon, there is an ambition for places like the River Tavy, which are used often for wild swimming and watersports, to be cleaner.

For somewhere to be designated as a bathing area, 150 people need to be using it at any one time. The council’s overview and scrutiny committee was told that this was “quite a hard target.”

South West Water says it is investing money at all its coastal bathing waters to reduce sewage spills to fewer than 10 on average, over a 10-year period by 2030.

The water company, which received the largest ever fine of more than £2 million for environmental offences in Devon and Cornwall last year, is investing £3 billion in improvement works over the next 15 years, with representatives talking to communities regularly in an effort to be more “transparent.”

It is looking at more natural-based solutions to deal with water and pollution and hopes to work with local councils on green solutions as well as increasing its amount of reservoir capacity in times of drought.

It is campaigning to stop people flushing wet wipes down the toilet after reporting 7,000 blockages in a year, costing £100 million to clear.

Clarissa Newell, from the Environment Agency, said West Devon’s rivers were “looking good” compared to the rest of the country, with few serious incidents of pollution. 

She said there were minor problems caused mostly by agriculture and land management, abandoned metal mines and run-off from development sites.

She added that although transparency is good, some data which people can now access, could be interpreted as more serious than it is. Two officers work full-time dealing with Freedom of Information requests.