Isle of Wight among worst areas for declining bathing water quality

Data from the government, the Met Office and the Rivers Trust was analysed.

Marketing agency Reboot generated a score for each area, based upon the percentage changes in two levels of faecal indicators: E. Coli (EC) and Intestinal Enterococci (IE).

The higher the score, the greater the decline in water quality, it said.

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The Isle of Wight recorded a high of 86.6 - putting it seventh on the list.

It was found that, between 2017 to 2019, and 2020 to 2022, the Island saw a 179.14 per cent increase in E.coli count, the agency said.

During the same period there was also a 132.69 per cent rise of IE - a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans.

The news won't come as a surprise to many, with the County Press previously highlighting the high number of sewage discharges off the Isle of Wight's coast.

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A statement from Southern Water disputed the data, and said: “The so-called degradation score is not a measure of bathing water quality – it makes a comparison between some e coli scores before the pandemic and scores after.

"Every single beach on the Island has been tested and monitored by the Environment agency and all 15 designated bathing waters are rated ‘Excellent’.

"Southern Water has made huge investment in infrastructure to support water quality including the construction of storm tunnel under Arthurs Hill in Shanklin which has cut storm releases by a third.

"The Island is the location of one of our industry leading pathfinder projects which use nature-based solutions to cut these releases made to protect homes schools and businesses from flooding.”

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Islanders have taken part in a number of protests over the past few months, with the Stop the Sewage Isle of Wight Facebook group highlighting regular outflows of waste.

Southern Water has previously said it is committed to 'reducing the impact of combined sewer overflows.'

The utility firm told MP Bob Seely the Island will be used as a pathfinder site to cut sewage dumping by 80 per cent, for around 90 per cent of areas here.

*This story has been updated after marketing agency, Reboot, issued clarifications to their data.