2024 Bathing Water Profile for St Annes North
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The bathing water is extremely flat in profile and sandy with up to 300 metres of sand exposed at low tide. Sand dunes run along the coastline to the north of the bathing water. There is an active sand quarry to the north of St Annes North bathing water.
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Fylde District
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Lancashire
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Since 1997 the Environment Agency has studied the Ribble Estuary to identify potential impacts on the bathing waters at the mouth of the estuary, including St Annes North. A computer model has been developed to predict the impact of pollution sources, including water company discharges, on bathing water quality. The Environment Agency can use a DNA identification technique to help show whether sources of pollution are of human or animal origin. In 2009 and 2010 this method was used at St Annes North and has helped target Environment Agency investigations and identify corrective action. In 2011 the Environment Agency surveyed streams around St Annes North to identify sources of contamination. The significant issues found have been investigated and improvements made where needed. The Environment Agency contributed to a 4 year research project - Cloud 2 Coast - between 2011 and 2015 delivered by the Universities of Sheffield, Cardiff and Aberystwyth. The project developed river and coastal models of the Ribble catchment to understand the catchment sources which could impact bathing water quality. The project looked at options for managing these sources to improve bathing water quality.
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The Sandgate Pumping Station, Abercorn Place, and the Wetherby & Albany Avenue overflows located to the north of the bathing water are no longer in use. The flows have been diverted away from the bathing water by United Utilities. There are numerous storm, emergency and surface water outfalls that discharge to the River Ribble and its estuary. Sewer overflows operating during, and following, periods of heavy rain, can result in a fall in quality of bathing water at St Annes North. Fairhaven Pumping Station, which discharges to the south of St Annes North bathing water, has undergone significant investment to protect bathing water quality. In addition, a significant improvement programme to overflows around the Preston area was completed by United Utilities in 2013 to protect bathing water quality. The programme included the construction of a large storage tunnel (40,790 m3) to the south of the River Ribble to store storm flows as well as a number of other individual schemes to improve storm and emergency overflows. As part of the improvement programme of work for United Utilities (from 2015 to 2021) the storm overflows from Chorley, Blackburn and Preston Sewage Treatment Works have been improved to protect bathing water quality. 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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There are a number of water company assets located on the River Ribble and its estuary which can affect St Annes North bathing water quality. The Environment Agency has worked closely with United Utilities since the 1990s to make significant improvements to the sewerage infrastructure around St Annes North bathing water. Sea Change, a £500 million coastal clean-up, was launched in 1994 by the Environment Agency in conjunction with United Utilities, to improve the bathing water quality in the North West, particularly along the Fylde Coast. Under this programme United Utilities made improvements at Fairhaven Pumping Station to reduce storm overflows to the sea, upgraded Preston Sewage Treatment Works and built a new sewage treatment works at Southport which will have improved bathing water quality at St Annes. Over the last 20 years United Utilities has provided disinfection at Southport, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Hesketh Bank and Preston Sewage Treatment Works to improve bathing water quality. Large storage tanks have also been built at Preston, Wigan and Southport Sewage Treatment Works to reduce the storm overflows. Improvements have also been made to the Fairhaven, Lytham and Ballam Road Pumping Stations to protect bathing water quality. In the late 1990s storage was provided by United Utilities at three inland locations in Preston (Haslam Park, Cattle Market and Ramsay Avenue) to protect river and bathing water quality. These discharges were further improved between 2003 and 2005.
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The Environment Agency has been working with Fylde Council to identify opportunities to work collaboratively to deliver water quality improvements at the bathing water.
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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 88% 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.
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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 13% 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, wind, 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 34 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 St Annes North
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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A step change improvement in bathing water quality at St Annes North was identified from 5th May 2014 due to improvements made to United Utilities assets within the Ribble catchment. Bathing water quality monitoring samples collected prior to this date shall not be used for classification.
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The River Ribble can cause reduced water quality at St Annes North particularly after rainfall.
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There are a number of sewage treatment works, including Southport and Preston, which can impact St Annes bathing water quality. However, they all have disinfection provided ensuring bathing water quality is protected. During 2012 United Utilities upgraded Blackburn Sewage Treatment Works providing disinfection to deliver bathing water improvements.
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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 St Annes 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 3% of visits. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 71% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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The River Ribble catchment contains significant areas of farmland both around the estuary and further inland. Grazing on the Ribble Estuary salt marshes can impact on the St Annes North bathing water. During and after periods of heavy rainfall excess water may not soak into agricultural land causing run off into rivers and the sea. High spring tides can cover the salt marsh and cause wash off from the land. The quality of the bathing water may decline as a result of such events. Catchment Sensitive Farming, delivered by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency, delivers practical solutions and targeted support to enable farmers and land managers to take voluntary action to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture to protect water bodies and the environment. Actions include a programme of educational events for farmers, advice to farmers and land managers, farm visits, and surveys of the area to identify pollution risks. A project is currently underway within the River Ribble catchment focusing on reducing the impact on water quality from farms. Ribble Rivers Trust focussed their Tidal Ribble 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 2014 the Environment Agency investigated sources of pollution in the local catchment. A number of minor issues were found which the Environment Agency resolved helping improve bathing water quality. 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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St Annes North bathing water lies on the Fylde coastline in Lancashire. The wider catchment has mixed use with the land immediately behind the beach being predominantly urban and becoming more agricultural further inland. The River Ribble discharges to the sea approximately five kilometres south of the bathing water.
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St Annes North
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St Annes North
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Sampling point at St Annes North
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330816
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53.759732155265255
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-3.050875569413882
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429775
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Sampling point at St Annes 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 41900:1
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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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