Get Your Feet Wet In The Cleanest Seas In 30 Years!
The phrase, To Get Your Feet Wet, means ‘to experience something for the first time’ or ‘begin to
participate in an activity.’
For many visitors to the North-West coast, and for some residents too, this would be the best suited
phrase for water usage at the coast; as more than half of adults have not had a single day at the
seaside in the last year [1].
However, in 2018, there should be nothing holding visitors and residents back. Beach and water
quality in the region has improved tremendously over the last thirty years resulting in all thirty
bathing water locations in the North-West passing the EU water quality standards for the past two
years.
“Our bathing waters are so much cleaner today than they were twenty, ten or even only five
years ago.
“That improvement is down to significant investment and partnership work from the Turning Tides
partners such as United Utilities, and having a clear vision that clean bathing waters contribute to
creating family friendly seaside resorts and boosting the North West economy as a whole.
“Our beaches are being cleaned regularly by hundreds of staff and volunteers throughout the
summer and are being sampled regularly by the Environment Agency to check they are safe to swim
in.
“We have some of the best, award-winning, coastlines in Europe but if we are to continue to keep
them that way then we need the public’s help. Simple actions like putting your litter in the bin,
picking up after your dog and not feeding the birds can help make sure that our beaches continue to
stay fantastic.”
Stephanie Wyatt, LOVEmyBEACH Manager adds, “When you visit the beach please make sure you
follow these simple steps to help the LOVEmyBEACH campaign and improve our beaches for
generations to come:
1.
Always put rubbish in a bin – if you can’t find one or it’s full, simply take it home.
2.
Understand dog restrictions on beaches – dog restrictions are in place in seven beaches
across the North West however there are miles of coast where dogs can be walked.
Whichever beach you’re on though, always, pick up your dog poo; the tide doesn’t wash
away the problem”.
3.
Think about how you can help from home – flushing wet wipes down the toilet or pouring
used kitchen fat down the sink increases the risk of sewage leaking into rivers and the sea.