Sandy river beach among four new bathing spots within easy driving distance of Birmingham

England has been named 27 new bathing spots ahead of the summer swimming season and four are within easy driving distance of Birmingham. A dozen rivers are among the new open-air bathing spots, with the nearest just a 45-minute drive from downtown.

It brings the total number of places for the 2024 bathing season, which runs from May 15 to September 30, to 451 across England. Every waterway with bathing status has to be tested by the Environment Agency for pollution during the summer months, putting pressure on water companies to stop dumping sewage into them.

However, it’s no guarantee the waters are safe to swim in, and three areas of rivers tested last year were rated “poor” due to pollution, with swimmers being urged to stay away or risk falling ill. But the Department for the Environment (Defra) said the government plans to launch a consultation later this year to reform bathing water regulations and improve water quality at bathing sites and improve monitoring measures.

Read more: I walked down an alley in Birmingham and got into the ‘secret’ park for free.

The new sites include Wallingford Beach, a sandy bank on the east bank of the Thames, immediately downstream of Wallingford Bridge. An hour and 40 minutes’ drive from Birmingham, the beauty spot slopes gently down to the creek, with a large grassy meadow behind, ideal for picnics and sunbathing.

Boat traffic is prohibited along the dog-friendly beach and there is virtually no current during the summer season. Visitors should note that there are no changing rooms nearby, however an ice cream and snack van regularly pulls up near the car park during peak hours.

The River Severn at Ironbridge is the closest place to Birmingham to be added to the list – just 45 minutes’ drive from the city centre. The beach near the Quay Museum is a good place to access and is also quite sheltered.

The River Severn at Shrewsbury is another new entry. Many people access the water at Frankwell – an hour away from Brum – for water sports as well as swimming.

Ludlow’s River Teme – 80 minutes away – is the third place in Shropshire to make the list this year. Although deep and wide, the river is gentle and steady-flowing most of the year, and wild swimmers often enter the water near the Millennium Green and wade in slowly before swimming upstream to the pontoon.

Water Minister Robbie Moore said: “The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people across the country – and I’m delighted to have approved a further 27 of new bathing water locations. for this year”.

Environment Agency chairman Alan Lovell added: “The importance of England’s bathing waters to residents and visitors alike cannot be overstated, which is why the Environment Agency provides rigorous testing to ensure bathers can make informed decisions before they swim in one of our 451 sites.”

The full list of 27 new bathing spots in England

• Church Cliff Beach, Lyme Regis, Dorset

• Coastguard Beach, River Erme, Devon

• Coniston Sailing Centre, Coniston Water, Cumbria

• Coniston Brown Howe, Coniston Water, Cumbria

• Derwent Water at Crow Park, Keswick, Cumbria

• Goring Beach, Worthing, West Sussex

• Littlehaven Beach, Tyne and Wear

• Manningtree Beach, Essex

• Monk Coniston, Coniston Water, Cumbria

• River Avon at Fordingbridge, Hampshire

• River Cam at Sheep’s Green, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

• estuary of the River Dart at Dittisham, Devon

• River Dart estuary at Steamer Quay, Totnes, Devon

• Dart estuary at Stoke Gabriel, Devon

• River Dart estuary at Warfleet, Dartmouth, Devon

• River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset

• The River Nidd at Lido Leisure Park in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

• River Ribble at Edisford Bridge, Lancashire

• River Severn at Ironbridge, Shropshire

• River Severn at Shrewsbury, Shropshire

• The River Stour at Sudbury, Suffolk

• River Teme at Ludlow, Shropshire

• River Tone in French Weir Park, Taunton, Somerset

• River Wharfe at Wetherby Riverside, High St, Wetherby, West Yorkshire

• Rottingdean Beach, Rottingdean, East Sussex

• Wallingford Beach, River Thames, Berkshire

• Worthing Beach House, Worthing, West Sussex

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