Bathing water quality for beaches in Cornwall revealed

The Environment Agency tests more than 400 sites around the country for E coli and intestinal enterococci, both bacteria which are found in human faeces.

Samples are taken between May and September each year which is when the authority said it expects most people to be sea swimming.

Church Cove retained its 'Excellent' status (Image: Christopher Hilton)

Beaches are given scores from zero stars which is a “poor” rating advising people not to swim, one star which is “sufficient”, two stars which is “good” or three stars which is “excellent”.

Kirsty Davies, community bathing water manager for environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage, said: “The current testing system is a farce and not fit for purpose. Bathing water classifications give water-users a false sense of safety in what is a small snapshot of overall water quality.

"What we need is improved real-time monitoring so that water-users can make informed decisions before they enter the water."

The majority of beaches in Cornwall scored either good and excellent, however there were some exceptions.

Porthluney Beach near Gorranhaven, which is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, has gone from ‘Sufficient’ in 2022 to ‘Poor’ in 2023, despite being rated on TripAdvisor by one user as “Britain as it used to be”. Not quite sure what they mean there. There were also complaints about the company running the car park, but that’s another issue!

Despite being a beautiful beach, Porthluney has been rated 'Poor' (Image: Getty Images)

Another beach that got a less than glowing mark was Par which has dropped from ‘Good’ in 2022 to ‘Sufficient’ in 2023. Par Sands also went from ‘Good’ to ‘Sufficient’.

On a more positive note Porthleven Sands has gone from ‘Good’ in 2022 to ‘Excellent’ in 2023.

Closer to home it’s a mixed bag with Swanpool and Maenporth remaining ‘Good’ while Gyllyngvase retains it 'Excellent' status.

However all three beaches have been the subject of storm overflows with sewage spilling into the sea during heavy rain in the past few years, much to the chagrin of local swimmers.

Gyllyngvase Beach has been rated excellent again

Surfing beaches that retain their excellent status include both the Fistrals at Newquay, Porthtowan, Chapel Porth, Trevaunance Cove, Perranporth Penhale, Constantine Bay and all the Towans at Hayle and Gwithian including Mexico Towans.

Excellent beaches on or near The Lizard peninsula include Porthoustock, Coverack, Kennack Sands, Polurrian Cove, Poldhu Cove, Church Cove and Praa Sands East and West.

Those that remained rated ‘Good’ this year include Marazion, Long Rock, Penzance, Wherry Town, Crantock and also sadly Porthminster Beach in St Ives although Carbis Bay round the corner is rated 'Excellent' as does Porthmeor.