UK beaches: Swimmers told to avoid 19 UK beaches due to diarrhoea and sickness warning - see full list

In an update the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned that venturing into these waters could result in diarrhoea, sickness and other potentially nasty symptoms. Currently, the Environment Agency (EA) has branded 21 open swimming areas in England - 19 of which are in the sea - as unsafe for humans. 

Water quality has been deemed “poor” due to pollution at all of the spots included in the list. The UKHSA advised checking a water quality tracker before heading to any wild swimming spots or risk getting ill.

The UKHSA said: “To get the most out of your visit to a beach, lake or river, check out the Environment Agency’s free Swimfo service for the latest information on 451 designated bathing waters across England. Unlike other areas of water, when open water is designated safe to swim in, it means that sources of pollution are being controlled and reduced to make water quality suitable for bathers.

“On Swimfo, you can search by name or location to look for any incidents or predictions of reduced water quality levels, as well as review whether allocation is classed as excellent, good, sufficient or poor. Annual ratings classify each site based on measurements taken over a period of up to four years.”

Some of these spots have a “permanent” no-swim warning against them, including Instow beach in Devon where the EA has said this is “no longer a designated bathing water”. The UKHSA urged people to seek medical help if they experience any symptoms after open-water swimming.

It added: “If you become ill after swimming, with diarrhoea/sickness or other symptoms, seek medical help and let them know that you have been swimming in open water. Don’t go swimming again until at least 48 hours after symptoms have stopped, or you might risk passing on the illness to other people using the water.”

Listed below are the beaches that swimmers are being urged to avoid as the water is currently rated as poor.

• Tynemouth Cullercoats
• Scarborough South Bay
• Bridlington South Beach
• Heacham
• River Deben Estuary
• Clacton (Groyne 41)
• St Mary's Bay (Kent)
• Littlestone
• Bognor Regis (Aldwick)
• Southsea East
• Porthluney
• Instow
• Dunster Beach
• Burnham Jetty North
• Weston-super-Mare Uphill Slipway
• Weston Main
• Weston-super-Mare Sand Bay
• St Annes North
• Blackpool North