Can you swim at Dunster Beach?

No. Annual classification is Poor and bathing is advised against. Dunster Beach is a designated bathing water, so it is sampled and rated every season. This answer covers water quality only, not tides, currents or lifeguard cover.

What is the water quality like at Dunster Beach?

Dunster Beach is rated Poor in the regulator's latest annual classification, a percentile taken over readings from up to four bathing seasons. The most recent sample, taken 19 August 2026, showed 45 cfu/100ml of E. coli and 10 cfu/100ml of intestinal enterococci.

Has there been sewage at Dunster Beach recently?

Yes. 1 storm overflow within ten kilometres of Dunster Beach: 1 in the last 48 hours.

← All bathing waters

England · Somerset

Wednesday 2 September

Dunster Beach

No. Annual classification is Poor and bathing is advised against.

Water quality only This says nothing about tides, rip currents, cold water shock or lifeguard cover. Cold water and currents are dangerous even when the water is clean. Read the local signs before you go in. What we cannot tell you.

Checked 03:26 UK time

Why this verdict

Annual classification: Poor (negative factor)
Pollution risk forecast: Increased (negative factor)
Rainfall (24h): 0mm (positive factor)
Latest E. coli: 45 cfu/100ml (positive factor)
Latest intestinal enterococci: 10 cfu/100ml (positive factor)

Recent sewage discharges nearby

Storm overflows operated by Wessex Water Services Limited within ten kilometres in the last 48 hours.

Ended 14 hours ago

WXW00513 · into RIVER AVILL

9.2km from the bathing water

See every spill happening now across the UK →

Latest bacteria reading

Latest sample · 19 August 2026 · 13 days ago

E. coli: 45cfu/100ml
Intestinal enterococci: 10cfu/100ml

The regulator samples weekly during the bathing season. E. coli and intestinal enterococci are the indicator organisms used in the official classification.

Storm overflows nearby

The Environment Agency does not link any storm overflow directly to Dunster Beach, so there is no spill record for it. There were 19 monitored overflows within ten kilometres in 2025, whether or not they drain here.

Common questions

Can you swim at Dunster Beach?: No. Annual classification is Poor and bathing is advised against. Dunster Beach is a designated bathing water, so it is sampled and rated every season. This answer covers water quality only, not tides, currents or lifeguard cover.
What is the water quality like at Dunster Beach?: Dunster Beach is rated Poor in the regulator's latest annual classification, a percentile taken over readings from up to four bathing seasons. The most recent sample, taken 19 August 2026, showed 45 cfu/100ml of E. coli and 10 cfu/100ml of intestinal enterococci.
Has there been sewage at Dunster Beach recently?: Yes. 1 storm overflow within ten kilometres of Dunster Beach: 1 in the last 48 hours.

Where this data comes from

Contains water-company storm overflow data, licensed under OGL v3
Spill counts from the Environment Agency EDM Storm Overflow Annual Returns, 2021 to 2025, published annually.
View the regulator's full profile

Other beaches nearby

Rated Poor Blue Anchor West Somerset Rated Sufficient Minehead Beach Somerset Rated Excellent Porlock Weir Somerset Unclassified Fontygary Bay the Vale of Glamorgan

Cleanest beaches in Somerset →

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Gareth Clubb