As the environment agency begins its annual testing, pressure groups are calling for more action as the summer season begins.
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00:00The 15th of May marked the start of open water bathing season. Across the UK there are over 400
00:09designated beaches and the county is home to 29 of them. Water bathing season has begun meaning
00:15people may be coming to the sea to take a dip, but organisations are checking the waters to make
00:20sure that it's safe to do so. The Environment Agency will be testing the waters across the
00:25UK more than 7,000 times until the season ends, uploading their data to Swimfo to help
00:31the public make informed decisions on where they swim. We test for E. coli and intestinal
00:37enterococci because they're the bacteria that can make you ill. All of that sample data at
00:42the end of the season is analysed alongside the three years worth of previous data and
00:48that's what gives us our bathing water classification at the end of the season. Bathing beaches are
00:53incredibly important for our health, for our well-being and also for local economies so
00:58it's really important that we're able to do the testing and to highlight to people what
01:04the quality of the water is where they swim. While the tests show that Hive has excellent
01:08quality, just along the coast we are seeing a different story. Dimchurch's latest classification
01:14is poor and it is advised that no bathing takes place there. Sewage and agricultural runoff
01:20are just a couple of sources which contribute to water pollution. And there are growing concerns
01:25of water quality across the county. Paddling out in protest is Surfers Against Sewage who
01:31have taken to Kent Coast to call for an end to sewage pollution. So with actually water quality testing,
01:36we want to call for year-round testing. We use the water all year round. We want to see lots of
01:41different things being tested for, not just bacteria but other kinds of chemicals like forever chemicals,
01:46things like that. But beyond that we just want to see an end to sewage pollution. We think that
01:53communities, citizens should be able to have a voice in how water systems are governed. We think
01:58the regulator needs to be strengthened. We think that environmental health and public health should be
02:02top of the political agenda and people shouldn't be profiting from pollution essentially. These
02:08polluters themselves shouldn't be able to profit from pouring sewage into our waterways.
02:13So before heading to the beach this summer, make sure to check the water quality ahead of your day,
02:18so you can make an informed decision before taking a dip. Daisy Page for KMTV in Hive.