Seawater Testing Underway in Worthing After Bathing Warning Sign Appears

Seawater testing is being carried out in Worthing after a sign warning against bathing appeared along the seafront near Beach House Grounds.

The warning follows a recent classification of the Beach House site as having poor water quality, prompting renewed focus on pollution levels by the Environment Agency and local councils.

The Environment Agency has been sampling the water from Goring to Southwick to assess levels of E.coli and Intestinal Enterococci - bacteria that indicate faecal contamination. These tests are used to determine the safety of bathing waters and affect each site’s official classification, which is calculated from results gathered over four consecutive years. Currently, Worthing has two sites rated excellent, one good, two sufficient, and one rated poor.

Adur and Worthing Councils stated that the poor rating at Beach House was based on results from 2024, the first year of testing after successful local campaigning for designation. They are now working with the Environment Agency and Southern Water to identify pollution sources and improve water quality.

Regular updates and water quality data are available on the councils’ website to help the public make informed decisions.