It’s official: 6 of the UK’s dirtiest beaches for water quality are near London

Within London’s city limits there are plenty of excellent places to go for an alfresco swim. While we wouldn’t dream of even dipping our toes in the Thames (though there are plans to make the river swimmable by 2034), London has more than its fair share of lidos and outdoor pools – and you can find Time Out’s guide to the best ones here. 

If you’re up for leaving London’s boundaries, there are even more opportunities for outdoor swimming, from rivers, lakes and pools to beaches. Next time you’re choosing where to head off for a swim, however, here’s something to bear in mind. A recent study has just revealed England’s worst beaches for water quality right now, and several are near London.

The report was by Holiday Park Guru, and it made use of Environment Agency data to hand out ‘Brown Flag Awards’. The full study featured 19 stretches of coast up and down the nation, all of which were deemed particularly contaminated with faecal matter from things like sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. The water quality readings were taken last year between May and September. 

Of those 19 ‘Brown Flag’ beaches, six were near London. We’re defining ‘close’ to the capital as in a Home County or within a couple of hours’ travel by car or train.

Kent had three beaches named among the UK’s filthiest, with Deal Castle, Dymchurch and Littlestone featuring, while Sussex’s Aldwich and Worthing beaches were included. The final near-London beach to be named and shamed was at Southsea in Hampshire.

It’s worth noting that the ‘Brown Flag’ rating doesn’t necessarily mean the whole beach is poor quality for swimming or bathing. It can refer to just one section of a beach. 

On the bright side, several counties and places close to London were also commended for the cleanliness of their beaches. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were named England’s joint sixth-best places for coastal water quality, with 73 percent of beaches rated ‘excellent’. 

The UK’s dirtiest beaches near London

• Southsea Beach, Hampshire
• Deal Castle Beach, Kent
• Dymchurch Beach, Kent
• Littlestone Beach, Kent
• Aldwich Beach, Sussex
• Worthing Beach, Sussex

Find the full list of the worst beaches for water quality right now here.

Check out Time Out’s guide to London’s best lidos here.

Did you see that one of the world’s best beaches is just two hours from London?

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