TWO beaches in the North-East and North Yorkshire have failed to meet European water quality standards.

Staithes, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, and Spittal, in Northumberland failed the EC quality levels, meaning 96.4 per cent of bathing waters in the region complied with standards.

Spittal passed last year, and it is the second year in succession that Staithes has failed. Flamborough's North Landing, which failed last year, passed the standard.

The latest results put the North-East at the bottom of the national league for clean water.

Nationally, 406 English coastal and freshwater bathing areas passed the standard out of a possible 413, a rate of 98.3 per cent.

The result came despite a summer of heavy rain, which experts said could have had a significant impact on the country's compliance with the standards.

A handful of bathing waters were still affected by short-term diffuse pollution, which takes place when rainwater washes over farmland and urban areas, spilling pollutants such as slurry into the rivers and out to sea.

Environment Minister Elliot Morley said: "Last summer could have been a poor one for English beaches. The unusually wet weather in August could have resulted in a number of pollution incidents around the country.

"But the decade-long investment to improve the sewerage infrastructure at our bathing waters has made us less vulnerable to pollution brought about by wet weather and this is to be welcomed.

"However, the wet weather did remind us of the challenge we face in tackling agricultural and urban sources of diffuse pollution.

"Pollutants flushing thr-ough our river catchments after heavy rain during August ultimately led to the failure of six of our seven non-compliant bathing waters.