Ten beaches on the Isle of Wight feature in the latest Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Beach Guide, released today.
The beaches are all recommended by the MCS following analysis of water quality.
The top ten beaches
In no particular order the recommended beaches were Totland Bay, Colwell Bay, Gurnard, Seagrove, St Helens, Yaverland (pictured by Ian Johnston), Sandown, Shanklin, Compton Bay and Ventnor.
What’s the criteria?
At the end of each season, beaches have to meet the legal minimum ‘Mandatory’ standard. To be awarded the accolade of MCS recommended the beaches must meet the following criteria
- During the previous bathing season (i.e. 2011) the Guideline water quality standard was met, with the inclusion of any samples taken during wet weather which may have been removed from government assessments by legal means of the ‘abnormal weather waiver’.
- 100% of samples taken during the previous bathing season, including samples taken during wet weather, must not have exceeded values set in the Mandatory standard.
- Any local continuous sewage discharges must be appropriately treated to remove the majority of bacteria and viruses using, as a minimum, secondary treatment.
Archive footage
We love this old footage from 1957 looking at the problem of polluted water.
Read the report
If you’re interested in finding out about other beaches around the UK, see the report below (embedded for your convenience)
Image: Ian Johnston under CC BY 2.0
