The 19 beaches named ‘worst in England’ due to major issue – full list | UK | News

Each year, the Environmental Agency tested 455 beaches and evaluates the quality between poor and perfect. The samples taken reveal how much the water is contaminated by feces from things such as sewage, animal husbandry, wildlife, birds and road drainage. In 2025, the status of “brown flag” was given six beaches.
The two districts are at the top of the list when it comes to the highest beaches with poor quality water. While reserveing your next holiday, tourists, swimmers and PadDleboarders should be aware of this list.
There are three beaches on the list in Kent and Somerset. There are two in the UK, two in Elsewehere, Lancashire, and two in Tyne and Wear.
High bacterial levels may cause the beaches to be insecure to swim. They may not always be polluted permanently, but the brown flag state indicates that water quality is regularly under the safe threshold determined by the UK and EU regulations.




