Beaches in Moray have been given the thumbs up and billed as amongst the cleanest waters in Scotland by an environment agency.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has undertaken a study of 84 designated bathing waters in Scotland and given them a pass rate of 97%.
Beaches at Lossiemouth and Findhorn were given a ‘mandatory’ pass, one step down from the highest ‘guideline’ rating which was awarded to the beach at Cullen Bay.
This is the last time reporting will take this format which has been used since the introduction of the current Bathing Water Directive and which delivered 26 years of monitoring, better pollution control, and improved environmental management systems for our designated bathing waters.
All the sites originally designated in 1988, when current records began, have now been brought up to the mandatory or guideline European water quality standard.
Two sites in Ayr and at Lunan Bay in Angus were the only beaches to fail the quality tests, and Sepa say that this is a significant improvement from that first year, when 13 sites failed.
Calum McPhail, Sepa’s head of environmental quality, said: “Access to water quality information for the public has never been better.
“From 1988 sample results were only reported as an end of season outcome, now there is electronic information signs at 23 beaches as well as on Sepa’s website, a smartphone app and a Beachline number.
“All provide on the day water quality predictions so that people have the information to choose whether to swim, paddle or stick to beach sports.”