River Stour bathing site achieves “good” rating in its inaugural year

A section of a river has received a “good” classification from the Environment Agency during its initial year as a designated bathing water location. This specific stretch of the River Stour, located near Friars Meadows in Sudbury, Suffolk, was granted bathing water status in May and is believed to be the only inland river in the country to achieve a good rating. John Kemp, who spearheaded the campaign to establish the bathing spot, described the news as “brilliant news,” though he emphasized that additional work is required to attain an “excellent” rating in the future. Elsewhere within the county, the water quality north of Claremont Pier in Lowestoft experienced a downgrade from excellent to good, while the River Deben Estuary in Waldringfield saw an improvement from poor to good. These classifications were determined by weekly tests conducted for E. coli and intestinal enterococci in the water. Mr. Kemp stated: “So far as I can see, we are the only inland river in the country who have obtained a good classification.” He further explained: “What it means for the Stour, is that the river is basically in a good state of health for all the swimmers, kayakers, canoeists, paddle boarders, anglers and rowers who use the river on a regular basis. “Obviously the figures need to be better if we are to obtain an excellent classification and we are hoping that Anglian Water will help, in this regard, by introducing further improvements to the Sudbury recycling plant.” Suffolk’s results diverged from a national trend across England, where the number of bathing water sites rated as “poor” and unfit more than doubled in 2024. Sites achieving an “excellent,” “good,” or “sufficient” rating have successfully met the minimum standards, whereas a “poor” rating signifies a failure to do so. Out of eight bathing water sites across the county, four situated in Felixstowe and Southwold maintained their “excellent” status. The River Deben Estuary was the sole site in the county that had previously failed to meet the minimum standard. For news from Suffolk, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.