Which beaches got worse in 2025

Downgraded

1. Haverigg Cumberland Sufficient → Poor
2. Stoke Gabriel, Dart Estuary South Hams Sufficient → Poor
3. Watch House Bay the Vale of Glamorgan Sufficient → Poor
4. Combe Martin North Devon Good → Sufficient
5. Marine Lake, Rhyl Denbighshire Good → Sufficient
6. Traeth Gwyn New Quay Ceredigion Good → Sufficient
7. Walney Biggar Bank Westmorland and Furness Good → Sufficient
8. Walney West Shore Westmorland and Furness Good → Sufficient
9. Budleigh Salterton East Devon Excellent → Good
10. Coniston Water, Monk Coniston Westmorland and Furness Excellent → Good
11. Hastings Pelham Beach Hastings Excellent → Good
12. Hope Cove South Hams Excellent → Good
13. Margate The Bay Thanet Excellent → Good
14. Moreton Wirral Excellent → Good
15. Newport North Pembrokeshire Excellent → Good
16. Paignton Paignton Sands Torbay Excellent → Good
17. Perranporth Cornwall Excellent → Good
18. Reighton North Yorkshire Excellent → Good
19. Salcombe North Sands South Hams Excellent → Good
20. Shaldon Teignbridge Excellent → Good
21. Shoeburyness Southend-on-Sea Excellent → Good
22. St Bees Cumberland Excellent → Good
23. St Mildred's Bay, Westgate Thanet Excellent → Good
24. Tenby North Pembrokeshire Excellent → Good

Upgraded

1. Deal Castle Dover Poor → Good
2. Abersoch Gwynedd Good → Excellent
3. Brean Somerset Good → Excellent
4. Caister Point Great Yarmouth Good → Excellent
5. Colwyn Bay Conwy Good → Excellent
6. Dittisham, Dart Estuary South Hams Good → Excellent
7. Flamborough South Landing East Riding of Yorkshire Good → Excellent
8. Gurnard Isle of Wight Good → Excellent
9. Henleaze Lake City of Bristol Good → Excellent
10. Holland Tendring Good → Excellent
11. Jaywick Tendring Good → Excellent
12. Llanddona Isle of Anglesey Good → Excellent
13. Maenporth Cornwall Good → Excellent
14. Marazion Cornwall Good → Excellent
15. Marsden South Tyneside Good → Excellent
16. Millendreath Cornwall Good → Excellent
17. Minster Leas Swale Good → Excellent
18. Penzance Cornwall Good → Excellent
19. Polkerris Cornwall Good → Excellent
20. Poole Harbour Rockley Sands Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Good → Excellent
21. Porthkidney Sands Cornwall Good → Excellent
22. Ramsgate Western Undercliffe Thanet Good → Excellent
23. Rottingdean Beach The City of Brighton and Hove Good → Excellent
24. Swanpool Cornwall Good → Excellent
25. Traeth Lligwy Isle of Anglesey Good → Excellent
26. Wells North Norfolk Good → Excellent
27. West Beach, Whitstable Canterbury Good → Excellent
28. Wherry Town Cornwall Good → Excellent
29. Bowleaze Cove Dorset Sufficient → Good
30. Goring Beach Worthing Sufficient → Good
31. Herne Bay Central Canterbury Sufficient → Good
32. Hunstanton (Old Hunstanton) King's Lynn and West Norfolk Sufficient → Good
33. Hunstanton Main Beach King's Lynn and West Norfolk Sufficient → Good
34. Ilfracombe Hele North Devon Sufficient → Good
35. Llandudno North Shore Conwy Sufficient → Good
36. Manningtree Beach, Stour Estuary Tendring Sufficient → Good
37. New Quay Harbour Ceredigion Sufficient → Good
38. Par Sands Cornwall Sufficient → Good
39. Sandy Bay East Devon Sufficient → Good
40. The Serpentine - Hyde Park City of Westminster Sufficient → Good
41. Worthing Worthing Sufficient → Good
42. Bridlington South Beach East Riding of Yorkshire Poor → Sufficient
43. Coniston Water, Boating Centre Westmorland and Furness Poor → Sufficient
44. Heacham King's Lynn and West Norfolk Poor → Sufficient
45. Porthluney Cornwall Poor → Sufficient
46. Rhyl Central Denbighshire Poor → Sufficient
47. St Annes North Fylde Poor → Sufficient
48. Wallingford Beach, River Thames South Oxfordshire Poor → Sufficient

How this is worked out

The regulator republishes every bathing water's classification each November, as a percentile taken over readings from up to four bathing seasons. A change therefore reflects several years of sampling, not one bad afternoon, and a site can move without anything happening that summer.

Covers England and Wales. Scotland's feed does not publish the previous year's classification and DAERA publishes no annual classification for Northern Ireland, so neither can be compared here.

Common questions

How many beaches got worse in 2025?

24 of the 561 bathing waters that could be compared were rated lower in 2025 than in 2024. 48 were rated higher.

Which beaches were downgraded in 2025?

Haverigg, from Sufficient to Poor, Stoke Gabriel, Dart Estuary, from Sufficient to Poor, Watch House Bay, from Sufficient to Poor, Combe Martin, from Good to Sufficient and Marine Lake, Rhyl, from Good to Sufficient.