Bathing Water Designation 2026

The aim of this consultation is to seek views on our proposal to identify Fontygary Bay, Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan as a bathing water under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 for the 2026 bathing season.

Welsh Ministers are required to identify popular bathing waters in Wales, monitor their water quality and keep bathers well informed about water quality at these identified sites. In Wales the bathing season runs from 15 May to 30 September.

One of the requirements under the Regulations is for the Welsh Ministers to annually review and publish the list of identified bathing waters in Wales.

Please submit your comments by 26 January 2026.

Please respond to this consultation by filling out the questionnaire or answering the questions set out in the response form. Response forms can be submitted by:

Email: water@gov.wales 

Or 

Post: 

Water Branch (Bathing Water Consultation)
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ

See the consultation and response form on the Welsh Government website 

If you have any queries on this consultation, please email water@gov.wales

Large print, Braille and alternative language versions of this document are available on request.

Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh

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In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation.

If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.

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For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the UK GDPR, please see contact details below: 

Data Protection Officer:

Welsh Government
Cathays Park
CARDIFF
CF10 3NQ
e-mail: Data.ProtectionOfficer@gov.wales 

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: 

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113
Website: Information Commissioner’s Office 

Purpose of the Consultation

The aim of this consultation is to seek views about our proposal to identify Fontygary Bay, Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan as a designated bathing water under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (the Regulations) for the 2026 bathing season.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify all popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution and provide information to the public to enable them to make informed decisions about where and when they bathe.

Expected bather numbers is the criteria applicable under the Regulations when considering whether it is appropriate to designate a site. Any infrastructure or facilities provided, or other measures taken to promote bathing at the site may be considered, along with past trends, as a part of determining whether or not a large number of bathers can be expected at a given site.

Current position

The Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC which put in place an obligation to identify bathing waters in the UK forms part of retained EU law in Wales. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 specify the statutory requirements associated with the management of bathing waters in Wales.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health and inform bathers of potential health hazards associated with poor water quality.  

There are currently 112 designated bathing waters in Wales. Once a bathing water has been designated, the water quality is tested by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to support the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September. Designated bathing waters are classified as excellent, good, sufficient or poor depending on water quality sampling results. The bathing water quality classifications are based on two microbiological parameters: intestinal enterococci and E.coli.

The results of individual designated bathing waters in Wales are published on the Welsh Government’s website.

Bathing waters are valuable for the recreational opportunities they provide to the people of Wales, the local economy and tourism. The Welsh Governments’ Programme for Government makes a commitment to begin to designate Wales’ inland waters for recreation, strengthening water quality monitoring to enable inland waters to reach the same high standards achieved by Wales’ beaches.

Your name:    

Organisation (if applicable):

email / telephone number:

Your address:

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report.  If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please tick here: 
☐

Request to identify Fontygary Bay, Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan as a bathing water

We have received a request from a member of the public for Fontygary Bay, Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan (ST 05100 65800) to be considered for designation as a bathing water for the 2026 bathing season.  

Image

Point B: High tide

Point C: Low tide

Evidence and information provided by the applicant in support of the application for Fontygary Bay.

Bather Numbers

The application provided a bathing water survey for Fontygary Bay, which was compiled by the applicant.

The application included a user survey, which provided data on bather numbers and recorded a total of 2162 bathers across 31 days. In excess of 100 daily bathers were recorded on 9 separate days with a daily average of 70 bathers. 

The survey data was compiled by the applicant over the bathing season (May 15 to September 30).

Facilities

The application provided information regarding facilities at or nearby the site, including, public toilets, café and parking.

Evidence of support 

Evidence was provided on local consultation and support for the proposed designation from individuals and local groups.

Question 1

Do you agree or disagree with our proposal to designate Fontygary Bay as a bathing water for the 2026 bathing season?

☐ Agree 
☐ Disagree

Question 2

Do you agree the evidence presented in the consultation covering bather numbers, facilities and community support is accurate and provides a sufficient basis for designating this site as a bathing water for the 2026 season? If you disagree, please explain why and include supporting evidence in your response to Question 3. 

☐ Agree 
☐ Disagree

Question 3

What evidence and measures have you observed that identify and promote bathing at the site? (e.g., number of bathers, signage, website, social media, etc.). If you disagree with the evidence presented in the consultation, please explain why and include any supporting evidence. 

Question 4

What is your view on the proposal, and what is the reasoning behind your opinion?

Please enter here.

Question 5

A number of specific questions have been asked. If you have any related issues which have not been specifically addressed, please use this space to identify them:

Views on Bathing water season national extension 2026

Following changes to the Bathing Water Regulations in 2025, the Welsh Government now has the power to set both national and site-specific bathing seasons.

The current bathing season runs from 15 May to 30 September each year.

We’re inviting views on our proposal to extend the national bathing season in Wales. Under this proposal the season would start two weeks earlier and run from 1 May to 30 September, beginning in 2026. This change is based on available information and past applications which suggest that May is potentially as busy for bathers as June and September. Currently limiting monitoring to mid-May onwards risks missing early-season pressures and leaves bathers without the same protections applied later in the season. By covering the entire month including the Early May Bank Holiday rather than starting mid-way through, we can provide a complete and representative picture of water quality, strengthen public health safeguards, and give communities confidence that standards apply consistently throughout this period.

This is a modest but meaningful step that aligns regulation with a full calendar month of sampling and oversight, rather than partial coverage that could overlook early-season activity. It ensures bathers during this time receive protections at the same standards applied later in the season, improving fairness and consistency across the bathing season. It also provides a longer timeframe for conducting bather number surveys to support new bathing water designation applications.

We recognise that not all bathing waters are used in the same way or for the same length of time. Alongside the proposed change to the national bathing season, we will continue to develop a robust, evidence-based approach for site-specific bathing seasons. This work may also lead to a review of the national season to ensure it reflects patterns of use and meets the needs of bathers across Wales. To support this, we plan to seek more detailed public views in 2026.

Question 6

Do you agree with the proposal to extend the national bathing season in Wales by two weeks, changing the dates from 15 May - 30 September to 1 May - 30 September?

☐ Yes 
☐ No
☐ Unsure 

Welsh Language

Question 7

We would like to know your views on the potential effects of the proposals on the Welsh language, particularly regarding opportunities for people to use Welsh and ensuring the language is treated no less favourably than English.

What effects do you anticipate, and how might these proposals be adjusted to enhance positive effects or mitigate any negative ones on the Welsh language?

Next steps following the consultation

All the responses to this consultation will be analysed and considered and the Welsh Government will publish a summary of responses.