Is Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary safe to swim?

Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary is rated Poor for the 2025 bathing season. This means it does not meet minimum EU Bathing Water Directive standards and may pose health risks. The EA may issue an advisory against bathing. Check environment.data.gov.uk/bwq for current advisories.

What does Poor classification mean?

Poor means the site fails the minimum rBWD standard based on its 4-season assessment window. The EA may advise against bathing. This does not necessarily mean the water is unsafe on any given day, but it is the lowest classification.

What is the Gera Bathing Water Score?

The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.

Who monitors Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary?

Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary is a designated bathing water in South Hams, monitored by the Environment Agency. It is an inland bathing water. The EA takes regular water samples during the bathing season (May–September) and publishes weekly results at environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/. The annual classification is published after the season closes.

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Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary — Bathing Water Quality 2025

PoorCoastal · South Hams

What is the bathing water quality at Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary?

Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary (South Hams) is classified Poor for the 2025 bathing season but has fewer than 3 assessed seasons so a full GBWS cannot be computed. Source: Environment Agency Bathing Water Quality API (OGL v3.0).

Source:Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API·as of bathing season 2025 (latest completed season)updated annually (last: 20 June 2026)

2025 classification

Poor

EA rBWD annual rating

GBWS

n/a

insufficient data

Water type

Coastal

South Hams

Classification history

Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary EA rBWD annual classifications (all available seasons)
Season	Classification	Pass/Fail
2025	Poor	Fail
2024	Poor	Fail

2020 excluded (COVID-19 cancelled the bathing season). Source: EA BWQ API.

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Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary — FAQ

Is Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary safe to swim?: Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary is rated Poor for the 2025 bathing season. This means it does not meet minimum EU Bathing Water Directive standards and may pose health risks. The EA may issue an advisory against bathing. Check environment.data.gov.uk/bwq for current advisories.
What does Poor classification mean?: Poor means the site fails the minimum rBWD standard based on its 4-season assessment window. The EA may advise against bathing. This does not necessarily mean the water is unsafe on any given day, but it is the lowest classification.
What is the Gera Bathing Water Score?: The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.
Who monitors Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary?: Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary is a designated bathing water in South Hams, monitored by the Environment Agency. It is an inland bathing water. The EA takes regular water samples during the bathing season (May–September) and publishes weekly results at environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/. The annual classification is published after the season closes.

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Other bathing waters in South Hams

Bantham— Excellent (GBWS 100)
Bigbury-on-Sea North— Excellent (GBWS 100)
Bigbury-on-Sea South— Excellent (GBWS 100)
Blackpool Sands— Excellent (GBWS 100)
Bovisand— Excellent (GBWS 100)

All South Hams bathing waters →

Contains public sector information published by Environment Agency and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API (bathing season 2025 (latest completed season), published 2026 (annual publication)).