Bathing water quality at Wallingford improves
Good news for swimmers, kayakers and all those who enjoy the River Thames at Wallingford, the water quality at the bathing water site in the town has officially improved since last year.
The Government has just published its classifications on bathing water sites around the country. Wallingford Beach, a popular spot near the town’s bridge which was designated an official bathing water site in May last year, has been rated as ‘sufficient’. This means the water quality met the minimum standards of Bathing Water Regulations. The 2025 classification is a step up from last year’s ‘poor’ rating, where the water quality fell below the minimum standards.
The Environment Agency regularly tests the water at designated Bathing Water sites such as Wallingford throughout the official bathing season (15 May to 30 September). The results of the tests are published on the Wallingford Bathing Water website so river users can check the water quality.
South Oxfordshire District Council’s River Thames Champion, Cllr Jo Robb said, “While this classification is an improvement on last year which is to be celebrated, a rating of ‘sufficient’ means there is still a lot to do to reach ‘excellent’ where the water is clean and of the highest quality.
“The bathing area at Wallingford is impacted by what flows from upstream. There is a large catchment area upstream Wallingford Beach, which includes sewage treatment works as well as rivers and streams that receive runoff from both urban and rural areas. We are relying on the Environment Agency and Thames Water working together to identify sources of pollution and take action to eliminate these, for the good of all river users and our wildlife.”
Aggie Hodges, Bathing Water Development Officer for Thames21, said: “It’s great news for both people and wildlife that Wallingford Beach has achieved ‘sufficient’ bathing water status this season. With only one other inland river site rated above ‘Poor’ this year, the result highlights the significant challenges facing England’s rivers and the importance of this progress on the Thames at Wallingford. We hope to see further improvements in water quality and for Wallingford to demonstrate that healthy rivers are within reach.”
Above (From left) Cllr Steve Holder, Deputy mayor of Wallingford, Cllr David Rouane and Cllr Katharine Keats-Rohan from South Oxfordshire District Council. Photo taken May 2025.
ENDS
Notes for editors
The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs report on bathing water quality is available here https://www.gov.uk/quality-of-local-bathing-water
Designated Bathing water sites are tested weekly by the Environment Agency during the bathing season (May to September)
Wallingford was classified as poor following the 2024 bathing season.
More information for river users is on our rivers and waterways page on our website – including the Thames Water storm discharge map. This shows near real-time storm discharge activity. People can use the map to see if overflows are currently discharging into a watercourse or the date and time of the last recorded discharge, to help them make a decision about using the river.
