Scotland’s bathing water season began on 1st June and 2025, marking the 10th anniversary of the first samples taken under the revised Bathing Water Directive, which introduced tougher water quality standards and clearer public information.
This year Scotland starts the season with the highest ever number of bathing waters rated “Excellent” for water quality; 50 compared with 17 a decade ago, with 97% of sites now achieving sufficient or better quality.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has led a science-driven programme of monitoring, collaboration, regulation and investment. As well as environmental monitoring, SEPA has worked with operators and stakeholders across Scotland, including Scottish Government, Scottish Water, local authorities, land managers and communities to improve bathing water quality. As a result, millions of pounds has been invested in wastewater infrastructure, improved agricultural practices and targeted pollution control.
Ruth Stidson, SEPA’s Principal Scientist for Bathing Waters, said:
“Scotland’s bathing waters are a vital part of our natural environment – important for health, wellbeing, tourism and community pride. A decade on from the revised directive, we’re seeing more sites rated excellent than ever before, 56% today compared to 20% in 2015.
“This improvement is a real testament to partnerships with local authorities and stakeholders, including communities, to protect our water environment, and targeted investment by Scottish Water, farmers and land managers to reduce pollution.”
Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said:
“I am pleased to see a record number of Scotland’s bathing waters rated as ‘excellent’ this year. This is testament to our continued investment in protecting and improving bathing waters across the country and targeted work in priority catchments.
“We want to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy our bathing waters, which is why we continue to work closely with SEPA, Scottish Water and other public partners to protect and improve water quality.
“We encourage everyone to make use of SEPA’s resources and information to help make an informed decision about where and when to bathe.”
