Cleveleys is a sandy bathing water with small areas of rocks and pebbles. Groynes stretch for several kilometres up and down the coastline on either side of the bathing water. The beach is slightly sloping with some undulations caused by the tide.
The Environment Agency undertook a study to identify diffuse pollution sources within the River Wyre catchment. This has helped us to confirm those discharges that could affect bathing water quality at Cleveleys. This study was built upon in 2008 by work that identified improvements to four storm overflows discharging to the Wyre Estuary.
In 2011 the Environment Agency surveyed the catchment around Cleveleys to identify sources of contamination. Where significant issues were found these have been investigated and improvements made where needed.
Between January and March 2012 the Environment Agency also surveyed surface water drains in this area to identify any sources of contamination. The Environment Agency is working with United Utilities, the local authority and householders to resolve misconnection issues identified in the survey.
An investigation into the cause of large amounts of foam which can, under certain weather conditions, be washed up on Cleveleys bathing water is on-going.
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.
There are a number of water company assets along the Fylde coast which can affect Cleveleys’ bathing water quality. The Environment Agency has worked closely with United Utilities since the 1990s to make significant improvements to the sewerage infrastructure around this 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 number of storm overflows. Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works discharges via a long sea outfall to the Lune Deeps in the Irish Sea.
To the north of Cleveleys bathing water there has been further improvement work completed. Poulton Sewage Treatment Works was closed in 1996 and Hambleton Sewage Treatment Works was closed in 1999 with their flows diverted for treatment at Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works. Preesall Sewage Treatment Works was improved in 1999 with the addition of disinfection to protect bathing water quality. The Works was further upgraded in 2005 to improve treatment following improvements to the sewerage system around the Pilling Lane and Knott End areas in 2003. Additional storm storage provision was added at Preesall in 2007. Pilling Sewage Treatment Works was improved in 2003 providing disinfection to protect bathing water. Improvements were also made by United Utilities in 2008 to seven storm and emergency outfalls to protect bathing water quality in this area.
The promenade along the Cleveleys seafront has many highway and surface water drains which flow onto the beach. These are not known to cause a decline in bathing water quality.
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 76% of visits. This bathing water does not have a history of large amounts of seaweed (macro algae).
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.
Between January and March 2012 the Environment Agency surveyed part of the surface water catchment close to Cleveleys to identify any sources of contamination. The Environment Agency is working with United Utilities, the local authority and householders to resolve misconnection issues identified in the survey. In addition further work led by United Utilities has been progressing since 2013 on the surface water catchment to further pinpoint sources of contamination which can affect bathing water quality at Cleveleys.
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 North Blackpool coast to assess water quality and direct action as necessary.
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. Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) naturally increase in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as a phytoplankton bloom. This bathing water does not have a history of phytoplankton blooms.
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.
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 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 15 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.
United Utilities upgraded Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works located to the north of Cleveleys 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.
Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar. At Cleveleys 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 2% of visits. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 61% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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.
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/
The bathing water is on Lancashire's low-lying north west coastline. It is surrounded by urban areas with agricultural land further inland. Most surface water in the catchment is diverted away from the bathing water.
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.
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.
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.
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.