BEACHES in South East Cornwall have been given a clean bill of health by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) in the Good Beach Guide 2014 published this week. Bathing water at Seaton, Millendreath, Sharrow Beach in Whitsand Bay, and at Kingsand and Cawsand was found to meet the highest standards, and these beaches have achieved the coveted MCS Recommended status. East Looe Beach has also passed with Guideline status, meaning it was judged to have met mandatory bathing water standards. Both East Looe and Seaton were given Fail status last year. The news that all of Cornwall's beaches have reached either the higher or very top standard for water quality has been welcomed by Cornwall Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment, Edwina Hannaford. 'We are very rightly proud of our 300 beaches which are used by large numbers of local residents and visitors throughout the year,' she said. 'We work closely with a wide range of partners in the Cornwall Bathing Water Partnership, including the Environment Agency, Surfers Against Sewage, and the Health Protection Agency, to provide beach users with up-to- date information about water quality.' The MCS Good Beach Guide is compiled using data collected by the Environment Agency and local authorities in the previous summer. Last year's dry summer was a significant factor in the good results for the South West, said MCS coastal pollution officer Rachel Wyatt. 'It's great news that we are able to recommend more beaches than ever for excellent water quality and it shows just how good British beaches can be,' she said. 'The main challenge now is maintaining these standards, whatever the weather.' With European Union standards for water quality set to become much more stringent at the end of summer 2015, the MCS has warned against complacency. This was echoed by John Warne, the chairman of the East Looe Town Trust, which manages the town beach. 'Meeting the Guideline standard is good news and demonstrates the importance of giving bathing water quality the attention it deserves,' said Mr Warne. 'We welcome, in particular, the support we have received from the Environment Agency and South West Water. It is important to guard against complacency because in 2016, under the new EU Directive, the previous four years' results (not just one) will be taken into account in determining whether permanent signs showing 'poor' water quality will have to be erected.'