Cornwall’s beaches are among the cleanest in the country, according to the latest annual bathing water assessments from Defra – with several much-loved Cornish spots celebrating improved ratings this year.

Across the South West, an impressive 96.2 per cent of bathing waters have been rated Excellent or Good, reaffirming the region’s reputation for world-class coastal water quality.

South West Water has also been ranked the second-best performer in England for maintaining high standards, achieving 100 per cent bathing water compliance for the fifth year running.

Cornwall features strongly in this year’s list of success stories. Beaches at Millendreath, Par Sands, Porthluney, Swanpool, Maenporth, Marazion, Porthkidney Sands and Wherrytown all saw their classifications improve following extensive testing by the Environment Agency.

These upgrades come as welcome news for local communities, tourism businesses and year-round sea-swimmers who rely on clean, safe coastal waters.

South West Water says the improvements reflect the early benefits of its record £760-million investment programme, which aims to improve water quality and reduce storm overflow use across the region over the next five years. This includes strengthening ageing wastewater infrastructure and upgrading assets in areas most vulnerable to pollution after heavy rainfall.

Richard Price, Managing Director of Wastewater Services, said: “We have some of the very best bathing waters in Europe here in the South West and we’re really pleased to see more beaches improving and 96.2 per cent now rated Excellent or Good.

We know a range of factors contribute to water quality, but we’re playing our part and more with a record-breaking £760-million investment to reduce the use of storm overflows and strengthen our wastewater network. Bathing water quality is a major priority for us.”

South West Water says it continues to monitor newly designated bathing sites and will upgrade all relevant overflows by 2028.