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A new expert-led forum aims to update monitoring methods and provide clearer guidance for recreational water users across the region
Scientists and water experts are diving into data to tackle the decades-old methods used to check how safe it is to take a dip at the coast . A new expert-led group is seeking to overhaul monitoring systems to ensure that swimmers and surfers have the most accurate information possible before entering the water .
The Safe to Swim Forum, developed through the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW), has been launched in partnership between South West Water and the University of Exeter . The initiative brings together leading scientists, public health specialists, regulators, water companies, and local authorities to plan evidence-led solutions using expert research and collaboration .
During an inaugural meeting, the forum explored significant challenges facing beaches across the South West . These include bathing water quality monitoring methods which have not been updated since the 1980s, fragmented data, and the increasing number of people using coastal waters for recreation . The group includes representatives from the Environment Agency, UKHSA, Newcastle University, the University of Exeter, Devon & Torbay Combined Authority, and Northumbrian Water .
Members of the group discussed how modern science and real-time monitoring can improve risk assessments and reduce the number of unnecessary beach closures . The forum also recognised the social and economic importance of high-quality water, noting that beaches are vital for tourism, local livelihoods, and community wellbeing .
Looking ahead, the forum is focused on turning these discussions into a roadmap to modernise water management . This includes driving innovation through CREWW-led studies, enhancing public information with local guidance, and ensuring knowledge is shared across all participating regulators and academics .
Andrew Garard, group general counsel and company secretary at South West Water and CREWW board member, said: “The Safe to Swim Forum is about bringing the very best scientific minds together to plan for a future where people are informed about their bathing waters and can enjoy swimming safely .
“By combining research, innovation, and collaboration, we can ensure our beaches remain clean, safe, and resilient for generations to come” .
Sean Anstee, director of operations at Devon & Torbay Combined Authority, added: “The visitor economy supports around 33,000 jobs across Devon and Torbay, and our natural environment is central to both wellbeing and tourism .
“The Safe to Swim Forum provided an opportunity to discuss the link between the socio-economic benefits of clean bathing waters alongside the advances in real time water quality monitoring, to help people make informed decisions and support our tourism and hospitality sectors to grow and thrive” .
Professor Richard Brazier, director of CREWW from the University of Exeter, said: “High-resolution, near real-time understanding of bathing water quality is within our grasp if we bring together innovative ways to both monitor and model the waters that we all enjoy around the UK coastline .
“Sharing up-to-date information to enable safe swimming, target management interventions and give the wider public confidence in the quality of our waters will be a major outcome of the evidence-based work of this forum” .
