THE majority of the region’s bathing waters have been given a clean bill of health from Defra, with only Staithes failing to meet cleanliness guidelines.

Twenty sea water samples were taken by the Environment Agency at each bathing water location between May 1 and September 30, to determine levels of bacteria in sea water and which water quality standard has been achieved.

Every designated bathing water in the North-East has met at least the minimum standard, with only Staithes in North Yorkshire failing to meet it.

Northumbrian Water’s operations director, Graham Neave, said he was delighted with the results which contrast starkly to 2000 when just four bathing waters in the North-East achieved the highest standard.

He added: “The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive was introduced in the same year and since then we have invested heavily to improve the quality of water which is discharged from our coastal sewage treatment works and to upgrade sections of the sewer network that impact on bathing water quality.”

Lee Pitcher, Yorkshire Water’s head of waste water said: “It’s great news that Yorkshire’s beaches are continuing to maintain such high standards of bathing water quality.”

He added that the company was supporting The Environment Agency and Scarborough Borough Council in improving the water quality at Staithes as the cleanliness is related to rain water running off the land, not the sewerage system.

The EU has issued tougher guidelines for next year and both water companies are investing millions in maintaining cleanliness levels.

Yorkshire Water has invested £110m to help the county’s beaches to further improve and Northumbrian Water Water is to invest more than £2m to investigate how bathing water quality can be improved even further.