{"id":111233,"date":"2025-05-18T08:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T08:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/111233\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T08:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T08:29:10","slug":"6-of-the-uks-dirtiest-beaches-for-water-quality-are-near-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/111233\/","title":{"rendered":"6 of the UK\u2019s Dirtiest Beaches For Water Quality Are Near London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Within London<\/a>\u2019s city limits there are plenty of excellent places to go for an alfresco swim. While we wouldn\u2019t dream of even dipping our toes in the Thames (though there are plans to make the river swimmable by 2034<\/a>), London has more than its fair share of lidos and outdoor pools \u2013 and you can find Time Out\u2019s guide to the best ones here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re up for leaving London\u2019s boundaries, there are even more opportunities for outdoor swimming, from rivers, lakes and pools<\/a> to beaches<\/a>. Next time you\u2019re choosing where to head off for a swim, however, here\u2019s something to bear in mind. A recent study has just revealed England\u2019s worst beaches for water quality right now<\/a>, and several are near London.<\/p>\n

The report was by Holiday Park Guru<\/a>, and it made use of Environment Agency data to hand out \u2018Brown Flag Awards\u2019. The full study featured 19 stretches of coast up and down the nation, all of which were deemed particularly contaminated with faecal matter from things like sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. The water quality readings were taken last year between May and September.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of those 19 \u2018Brown Flag\u2019 beaches, six were near London. We\u2019re defining \u2018close\u2019 to the capital as in a Home County or within a couple of hours\u2019 travel by car or train.<\/p>\n

Kent<\/a> had three beaches named among the UK\u2019s filthiest, with Deal Castle<\/strong>, Dymchurch<\/strong> and Littlestone <\/strong>featuring, while Sussex<\/a>\u2019s Aldwich<\/strong> and Worthing<\/strong> beaches were included. The final near-London beach to be named and shamed was at Southsea<\/strong> in Hampshire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that the \u2018Brown Flag\u2019 rating doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the whole beach is poor quality for swimming or bathing. It can refer to just one section of a beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the bright side, several counties and places close to London were also commended for the cleanliness of their beaches. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight<\/a> were named England\u2019s joint sixth-best places for coastal water quality, with 73 percent of beaches rated \u2018excellent\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s dirtiest beaches near London<\/strong><\/p>\n