Our nations’ wild waters should be safe to play in. For everyone who uses them. Wherever and whenever they choose to get in the water.
The problem:7 months unmonitored.
100s of spots unrecognised.
1,000s of serious sicknesses caused.
1,000,000s water users ignored.
Every day, people are being forced to swim, surf, SUP, kayak and play in dangerously dirty water because of useless legislation. Where, when and how we get in is being overlooked and thousands of us are falling seriously sick because of it.
This needs sorting now.
Bathing Water Regulations are failing us because the UK Government thinks these numbers don’t count. Its ‘new vision’ for protecting our wild waters and the people who use them simply doesn’t add up.
So many sports. So many spots. So many serious sicknesses. In 2026 we’re asking one big question to drive the change we want to see.
WHY DON’T WE COUNT?
By shining a spotlight on the numbers that show the scale of the problem we can change the way our waters are regulated, treated and protected. We’re calling for:
This is about standing up for the waters we all deserve. Every place, every person, every way we play. And we won’t stop until we’re all counted.
#ourwaterscount
What are SAS doing this year to make our waters count?
In current legislation only “bathers” are counted as water users during the process of getting bathing water status at a site. So, due to this outdated legislation this means surfers, kayakers, paddleboarders and anyone else using the water in any other way than “bathing”, does not count.
The government is trying to change the rules so polluted waters can be written off as “too polluted to protect”. We’re fighting back with a judicial review to challenge whether these changes are even lawful.
Speak up for your bathing site and demand designation for the UK’s lakes & rivers and anyone who enjoys them.