Water quality

Overview

Generally, water quality issues are looked after by the Environment Agency.

This national environmental regulator is responsible for controlling discharges to:

rivers
lakes
coastal waters
and, other water courses

If you notice a problem please contact the Environment Agency.

Drinking water

Northumbrian Water is responsible for the quality of our drinking water supplies.

If you have a problem related to the quality of your drinking water please contact your supplier direct.

Coastal waters

Certain coastal waters used for bathing and recreation are designated under the Bathing Waters Directive.

A classification system for bathing waters was introduced in 2015, with councils required to provide information on the more stringent standards during the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September each year.

Each bathing water beach is given one of the following annual classifications:

Excellent - the highest, cleanest class
Good - generally good water quality
Sufficient - the water meets minimum standards
Poor - the water has not met the minimum standards. Work is planned to improve bathing waters not yet reaching Sufficient.

In South Tyneside, there are 3 designated bathing waters located at:

Sandhaven Beach
Littlehaven Beach
Marsden Beach

You can check the quality of these bathing waters, and others in the country, at GOV.UK: Beach and bathing waters in England.

South Tyneside Council's role in water quality

South Tyneside Council is passionate about ensuring the quality of our rivers and ocean.

The Council has an influencing and advocacy role in terms of water quality.

We understand that poor water quality can have an impact on public health, communities and the natural environment, and endorse all efforts to minimise the release of untreated sewage into open water.

Please read our Open Water Quality Position Statement for more information.

Open water safety

If you are planning to access open water please consider the safety information on .