SAND & DELIVER

Mersey beach could be new designated swimming site with checks on pollution to keep bathers safe

- By EMILY BEAMENT Press Association

A family enjoy a paddle at New Brighton last summer

ABEACH on the Mersey is among 13 new designated bathing areas proposed by the Government.

Others include the first official bathing spot on the River Thames in London and the filming location for TV drama Broadchurch.

Also on the list are popular beaches, a meadow and river site in the area that inspired The Wind In The Willows, and a spot in Yorkshire where the River Swale flows in waterfalls over limestone steps.

On Merseyside, New Brighton Beach (East) at the mouth of the Mersey Estuary has been chosen.

Meanwhile, the first designated bathing spot on the Thames in London would mark a “vast transformation” in water quality in the river which was declared biologically dead in the 1950s due to pollution, officials said.

Designation would mean sites are subject to regular water quality testing, giving people a better idea of the state of the water they are swimming, paddling or enjoying water sports in.