2024 Bathing Water Profile for Blackpool North
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Blackpool North is a large, sandy beach opposite the Blackpool Tower between the North and Central Piers. The sea defence behind this beach is approximately five metres high and runs the entire length of the bathing water.
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Blackpool
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Lancashire
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The Environment Agency can use a DNA identification technique to help show whether sources of pollution are of human or animal origin. In 2012 this method was used at Blackpool North. The findings confirm that both human and animal sources can impact on bathing water quality. This has helped target Environment Agency investigations and identify improvement actions. In 2011 the Environment Agency surveyed the catchment around Blackpool North to identify sources of contamination. Where significant issues were found these have been investigated and improvements made where needed.
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Alongside the Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works improvements, the Manchester Square Pumping Station and the Bloomfield Road storage tanks in Blackpool were upgraded in 2010. Further work providing additional storm sewage storage at Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works and the Bloomfield Road storage tanks was completed in 2015 which has helped improve bathing water quality at Bispham. As part of the improvement programme of work for United Utilities (from 2015 to 2020) further work has been completed to reduce the impact of storm discharges from the Anchorsholme, Manchester Square and Chatsworth Avenue Pumping Stations and improve bathing water quality on the Fylde coast in Lancashire. In 2015 Harrowside outfall pipe was replaced with a new, longer pipe that can deal with larger flows of storm water 1km out to sea. In April 2018 work was completed in the Marton Moss area to reduce the amount of surface water (rainwater) entering the sewer network. Removing surface water from the system creates more space for foul sewage and hence reduces the number of spills from the Manchester Square and Chatsworth Avenue outfalls. Surface water connections in the area were identified and have now been redirected to a new surface water pumping station (Magnolia Pumping Station). The surface water is then pumped out to sea via Harrowside Outfall. Additional drainage basins (mostly dry, green open spaces) have been created to store surface water during heavy rainfall. To ease the amount of water going through the combined waste water network during heavy rainfall an underground storm water tank has been constructed at Fishers Field to store excess storm water until it can be treated. The Anchorsholme scheme was completed in 2019. Phase one of the Anchorsholme scheme was the construction of a 30 metre deep storm tank to hold 12,000m3 of untreated stormwater until it can be treated. Phase two involved the relocation of the pumping station from the headland to the park so that new structures could be built to screen and control what flows in and out of the pumping station and the third phase was building a 3.7km long outfall pipe which discharges the excess screened storm water further out to sea. The programme also requires that storm overflows close to bathing waters have equipment installed to monitor spills to the environment. This will help to identify where bathing water improvements may be needed in the future. This bathing water is included in the Surfers Against Sewage “Safer Seas Service”. This service can alert you to Combined Storm Sewer Overflow discharges via a phone App and in addition, it includes the Environment Agency Pollution Risk Forecast warnings where they are available. Further details of the service can be found at - http://www.sas.org.uk/safer-seas-service/ and via United Utilities website at http://www.unitedutilities.com/Bathing-Waters-Map.aspx.
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The discharge from Talbot Square overflow was closed in 1996. There are no discharges from this overflow. There are a number of water company assets along the Fylde coast which can affect Blackpool North’s bathing water quality. The Environment Agency has worked closely with United Utilities since the 1990s to make significant improvements to the sewerage infrastructure around Blackpool North bathing water. Sea Change, a £500 million coastal clean-up project, was launched in 1994 by the Environment Agency in conjunction with United Utilities, to improve bathing water quality in the North West, particularly along the Fylde Coast. Under this programme in the Blackpool area United Utilities made improvements by constructing a tunnel to provide storage for storm discharges and transferring flows from four coastal pumping stations serving the Blackpool area to a new sewage treatment works at Fleetwood. Large storage tanks have also been built at Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works, together with large storage tanks in central Blackpool to reduce the storm overflows.
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The Blackpool promenade has highway and surface water drains which flow onto the beach. These are not known to cause a decline in bathing water quality.
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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 79% of visits. This bathing water does not have a history of large amounts of seaweed (macro algae).
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Modern sewerage systems have two separate systems, one takes foul sewage to sewage treatment, the other takes rainwater runoff through surface water drains to rivers, lakes and the sea. Misconnections occur when waste water pipes are plumbed into surface water drains instead of the foul water sewerage system. This can give rise to pollution when the waste water is discharged directly to the environment through the surface water drain. For example, a washing machine or toilet may be incorrectly plumbed so that it discharges to the surface drain rather than the foul sewage drain. The Environment Agency have worked with 3rd year BSc Marine Biology students from Blackpool & Fylde college on a collaborative project to obtain detailed sample results from small outfalls on the Blackpool coast to assess water quality and direct action as necessary.
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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton (microscopic algae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 5% of visits. This bathing water can be affected by occasional blooms ofPhytoplankton (microscopic algae) which are not harmful, but can result in the water appearing discoloured or a foam forming on the water. The risks to human health from contact, ingestion or inhalation with marine algae that currently occur in UK coastal waters are considered to be low. However, some individuals may be more sensitive and display some reactions. A common marine algae found in UK coastal waters is Phaeocystis, which is often mistaken for sewage as it forms foam and a brown scum, but it is non-toxic.
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This bathing water is subject to short term pollution procedures. The Environment Agency makes a daily pollution risk forecast at this site based on the effects of rain, tide, sunlight and seasonality on bathing water quality. These factors affect the levels of bacteria that get washed into the sea from livestock, sewage and urban drainage via rivers and streams and how they disperse. When these factors combine to make short term pollution likely we issue a pollution risk warning on this website and the beach manager will display a sign advising against bathing at the bathing water. After a short term pollution event, levels of bacteria typically return to normal after a day or so but it’s possible to have several warning days in a row. Details of the work to reduce the sources of bacteria at this bathing water are detailed in this profile. In 2023 78 pollution risk warnings were issued for this bathing water. All bathing waters have the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if this occurs a pollution risk warning will be issued with associated advice against bathing on this website.
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2024 Bathing Water Profile for Blackpool North
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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A step change improvement in water quality has been identified from 1st May 2015 at Blackpool North due to improvements made to United Utilities assets. Bathing water quality monitoring samples collected prior to this date shall not be used for classification.
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United Utilities upgraded Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works in 2010. This has improved the sewerage system on the Fylde coast by reducing storm and emergency overflows to the sea improving bathing water quality.
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Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar. At Blackpool North for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 4% of visits. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 2% of visits, with 74% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 5% of visits.
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Wyre Rivers Trust focussed their Tidal Wyre Project, in collaboration with Unitied Utilities and Environment Agency, on farms that have benefitted from on-farm interventions to reduce pollution risk. Interventions such as fencing, roofing slurry stores and dirty water seperation have been applied and continue to be installed.
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In July 2014 a toilet facility on Blackpool North Pier was reported to be leaking onto the sand below the pier structure. Following action taken by the Environment Agency it was mended in August 2014. Further issues with the sewage infrastructure under the pier were identified in 2019, the Environment Agency worked with the pier owners and the Local Authority to resolve these issues. The ‘Call of Nature’ campaign was run by Morecambe Bay Partnership with the support of the North West Catchment Partnerships, which resulted in the development of user friendly materials to educate private sewage treatment plant owners into maintenance requirement and ways to identify causes for concern. Materials were developed as printed documents but also available on the web and mobile friendly web page at http://www.callofnature.info/
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The bathing water sits on Lancashire's north west coastline. It is flanked by urban areas with agricultural land dominating further inland. Most surface water in the catchment is diverted away from the bathing water.
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Blackpool North
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Blackpool North
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Sampling point at Blackpool North
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330534
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53.81612859181931
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-3.056569017332642
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436055
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Sampling point at Blackpool North
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p152 dT23 h59 m59 s
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2024 05 01 t00:00:00
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2024-05-01T00:00:00
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2024 09 30 t23:59:59
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2024-09-30T23:59:59
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2024 42500:1
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Seaweed (macroalgae) and phytoplankton (microscopic algae) are a natural part of the marine and freshwater environment. Below we note whether these have been recorded in quantities sufficient to be a nuisance.
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The majority of sewers in England are “combined sewers” and carry both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. An emergency overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage in the sewerage system.
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Heavy rain falling on pavements and roads often flows into surface water drains or highway drains, ending up in local rivers and ultimately the sea. The quality of bathing water may be adversely affected as a result of such events.
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It is the Environment Agency's role to drive improvement of water quality at bathing waters that are at risk of failing higher standards. It is natural for water to run off the land to the sea. Water quality at a bathing water is dependent upon the type and area of land (the catchment) draining to the water and the activities undertaken in that catchment.
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Discharges from sewage treatment works have improved substantially in England since the 1980s.
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