Worst beaches for sewage in Cornwall
52 bathing waters ranked by the storm-overflow spills the Environment Agency links to them in 2025. The other 38 in Cornwall have no comparable 2025 record, which is not the same as a clean one.
Spills in 2025
- 1 Readymoney Cove 317 from 7 overflows -34% since 2021
- 2 East Looe 249 from 7 overflows -29% since 2022
- 3 Long Rock 236 from 6 overflows -4% since 2024
- 4 Seaton (Cornwall) 232 from 5 overflows +77% since 2022
- 5 Portreath 134 from 1 overflow +68% since 2022
- 6 Godrevy Towans 111 from 2 overflows +34% since 2024
- 7 Gwithian Towans 111 from 2 overflows +34% since 2024
- 8 Pentewan 108 from 2 overflows +46% since 2022
- 9 Harlyn Bay 107 from 1 overflow +57% since 2022
- 10 Par Sands 100 from 3 overflows +1900% since 2021
- 11 Gorran Haven Little Perhaver 80 from 2 overflows +29% since 2022
- 12 Crantock 72 from 3 overflows -24% since 2022
- 13 Fistral North 70 from 2 overflows -4% since 2024
- 14 Fistral South 70 from 2 overflows -4% since 2024
- 15 Swanpool 69 from 3 overflows +17% since 2022
- 16 Trevaunance Cove 68 from 3 overflows +66% since 2022
- 17 Kingsand 66 from 3 overflows +94% since 2022
- 18 Millendreath 58 from 1 overflow +16% since 2022
- 19 Porthtowan 58 from 2 overflows +544% since 2022
- 20 Perranuthnoe 50 from 1 overflow +32% since 2022
- 21 Porthkidney Sands 49 from 2 overflows -25% since 2022
- 22 Charlestown 48 from 2 overflows +9% since 2022
- 23 Widemouth Sand 41 from 1 overflow +24% since 2022
- 24 Polzeath 39 from 2 overflows +117% since 2022
- 25 Shorthorn Beach 35 from 2 overflows +169% since 2021
- 26 Coverack 31 from 2 overflows -26% since 2022
- 27 Cawsand 29 from 1 overflow -45% since 2024
- 28 Downderry 27 from 1 overflow -13% since 2022
- 29 Watergate Bay 27 from 1 overflow +200% since 2022
- 30 Gyllyngvase 26 from 1 overflow 0% since 2023
- 31 Mawgan Porth 26 from 2 overflows -35% since 2022
- 32 Porthcurno 24 from 1 overflow 0% since 2022
- 33 Trevone Bay 23 from 1 overflow +44% since 2022
- 34 Polstreath 22 from 1 overflow -82% since 2022
- 35 Porthoustock 22 from 1 overflow -15% since 2022
- 36 Sennen 21 from 1 overflow +62% since 2022
- 37 Crackington Haven 19 from 1 overflow +36% since 2022
- 38 Portwrinkle 17 from 2 overflows +6% since 2022
- 39 Trebarwith Strand 17 from 1 overflow
- 40 Summerleaze 15 from 6 overflows -35% since 2022
- 41 Porthleven Sands 13 from 2 overflows 0% since 2022
- 42 Polurrian Cove 9 from 1 overflow -50% since 2022
- 43 Carbis Bay 6 from 1 overflow
- 44 Porthminster 6 from 1 overflow +500% since 2024
- 45 Porthgwidden 3 from 1 overflow +200% since 2024
- 46 Towan 2 from 1 overflow
- 47 Perranporth 1 from 1 overflow 0% since 2022
- 48 Porthallow 1 from 1 overflow
- 49 Crooklets 0 from 1 overflow
- 50 Maenporth 0 from 1 overflow
- 51 Porthpean 0 from 1 overflow
- 52 Portmellon 0 from 1 overflow
How this is counted
Each figure counts spills from the storm overflows the Environment Agency links to that bathing water in its annual Event Duration Monitoring return, so it follows the sewer network rather than a map radius. Spills only: the return's duration column is not reliable enough to publish.
See the cleanest beaches in Cornwall or every spill happening now.