Where the information comes from
Credits as the sources publish them.
Official bathing-water data
- England Environment Agency
Bathing waters and their classifications; the daily pollution-risk forecast.
- Wales Natural Resources Wales
Bathing waters and their classifications; the daily pollution-risk forecast.
- Scotland Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Bathing waters and their classifications; its bathing-water signs.
- Northern Ireland DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division
The designated bathing waters. Its open data gives no classification, so none is shown.
- Ireland Environmental Protection Agency
Bathing waters and their classifications; its alerts.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Sweden Havs- och vattenmyndigheten
Bathing waters and their classifications, in the agency’s own Swedish words; its bathing advice.
- Europe European Environment Agency
The other countries listed on this site, France included: classification and year as the EEA publishes them, with data from each member state’s authority.
Today’s notices, for the apps
- England Stream, the water companies’ open data
Whether a storm overflow near a place is discharging, as an indication only.
Contains data from Northumbrian Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from United Utilities via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from Anglian Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from Severn Trent Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from Yorkshire Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from Thames Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from South West Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Contains data from Wessex Water via Stream (streamwaterdata.co.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0
- Scotland Scottish Water
The same, for Scotland.
OpenStreetMap
- OpenStreetMap
The places contributors have mapped for swimming: bathing places, swimming areas, named beaches, hot springs and lifeguard posts. They are kept apart from the official data, shown in the apps only and never on this website. Licence: Open Database Licence.
Safety advice
The advice on this site is paraphrased from these pages. Read their own pages too.
- RNLI
read 12 October 2026
- RNLI
read 12 October 2026
- RLSS UK
Water safety guidance: in, on and around the water
published 17 June 2026 · read 12 October 2026
- RLSS UK
read 12 October 2026
- Environment Agency
News release: swimming near water structures (GOV.UK)
published 1 July 2021 · read 12 October 2026
- GOV.UK
Algal blooms: advice for the public and landowners
published 31 January 2017 · read 12 October 2026
- UKHSA
How to stay healthy while wild swimming (UKHSA blog)
published 16 August 2024 · read 12 October 2026
- NHS
page reviewed 28 June 2023 · read 12 October 2026
Photographs
From Wikimedia Commons, cropped and resized for this site. Each links to its page there, which names its author and licence.
- Altausseer See, Austria
“Altausseer See - View from the Eastern Shore”
Bernd Thaller · CC BY 2.0
- The En-Vau calanque, France
kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hintersteiner See, Tyrol, Austria
“Hintersteinersee, Scheffau, Tirol, 160615, ako (3)”
Ansgar Koreng · CC BY 4.0
- Oxwich Bay, Gower, Wales
“Oxwich Bay from the Gower Way - geograph.org.uk - 6908736”
Des Blenkinsopp · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Río Borosa, Sierra de Cazorla, Spain
“Ruta Cerrada de Elías-Nacimiento del Borosa-Laguna de Valdeazores 02”
Raquel Sánchez de Pedro · CC BY-SA 3.0 es
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What we do not use
- Surfers Against Sewage
Its live sewage alerts have no public licence, so we take nothing from them. They are on its own service.
- Outdoor Swimming Society and swimming guidebooks
Copyrighted: nothing is copied or imported.