Taussat

From the official agency for the country the spot is in: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland, DAERA in Northern Ireland, the EPA in Ireland, and the European Environment Agency elsewhere. All of them test for E. coli and intestinal enterococci under the same Bathing Water Directive standard.

Designated bathing waters are sampled roughly weekly through the bathing season, and the annual classification is recalculated once a year from the previous four seasons. Some agencies also publish a daily pollution forecast; where one exists it is shown alongside the samples.

Excellent and Good are the top classifications, based on measured bacteria levels. Sufficient meets the minimum standard. Poor means the water failed it. The classification covers the last four seasons, so it describes a site in general rather than the water today — always check conditions yourself before swimming.

Heavy rainfall can cause sewage overflows and wash contaminants off the land. Where an agency models that risk it issues a short-term warning, and some also publish bathing restrictions when an incident occurs.

Some spots sit near several official sites — two adjacent designated beaches, for instance. Each is listed with how far it is from the spot, nearest first.