Polzeath water quality

RED

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Polzeath is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated RED for swimming — Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore. Its latest Environment Agency classification is excellent (2025), and 92 storm-overflow spills were recorded nearby in 2025. Below: live risk, recent spills, official samples, rainfall, tides and nearby reports.

Safe to swim right now?
Avoid — pollution risk
Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore.
South West Water status: Amber · since 2026-10-24 14:18
Do not rely solely on this website for health decisions. Check official alerts and use your own judgement. Seek medical advice if you are unwell.

Current status

Risk: RED Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore.

  • Active overflows nearby: 1
  • Recent overflows (48h): 9
  • Rainfall (48h): 34.4 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-09-23 — E.coli 10, enterococci 54 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

34.4 mm
Rainfall 48h
61.6 mm
Rainfall 7d
7
Outfalls within 5 km
92
Spills (2025, official)
26
Spills 2026 so far (live)
12
Spills last 30d
falling 2.77m
Tide now

Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)

In the news nearby

No recent local news matched.

Storm-overflow spills near here, by year (EDM)

Recent spills near here (precise, SWW)

Full spill history near Polzeath

Download CSV

Every storm-overflow discharge Glanmor has recorded within 5 km of Polzeath, newest first.

26 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-10-24 14:002026-10-24 15:00RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-10-24 13:18ongoing(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-24 13:132026-10-24 14:37RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-10-23 06:452026-10-23 08:46(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-23 06:332026-10-23 08:31(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-23 06:152026-10-23 08:00CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.6 km
2026-10-23 05:572026-10-23 07:45CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.6 km
2026-10-22 21:012026-10-22 22:30(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-22 20:392026-10-22 22:15(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-22 20:182026-10-22 20:25CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.5 km
2026-10-21 21:452026-10-21 22:15CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.5 km
2026-10-21 21:362026-10-21 21:43CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.5 km
2026-09-22 09:522026-09-22 09:54(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-09-14 09:362026-09-14 09:41(E) POLZEATH BAY~0.5 km
2026-09-08 06:182026-09-08 07:41RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-09-08 06:042026-09-08 06:11CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.5 km
2026-07-18 15:442026-07-18 15:47RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-07-18 14:452026-07-18 17:15RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-07-16 00:292026-07-16 00:31CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.5 km
2026-06-25 09:482026-06-25 09:50CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.9 km
2026-06-25 09:092026-06-25 09:11CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.5 km
2026-06-18 12:402026-06-18 12:41(S) POLZEATH STREAM~3.1 km
2026-06-18 09:032026-06-18 09:08RIVER CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~4.4 km
2026-06-15 10:122026-06-15 10:13CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.5 km
2026-06-08 08:362026-06-08 08:37CAMEL ESTUARY (E)~3.6 km
2026-02-27 22:192026-02-27 22:57(E) POLZEATH BAY~0.5 km
34 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-10-24 13:18spill, 191 min~3.1 km
2026-10-24 13:13spill, 85 min~4.4 km
2026-10-23 06:33spill, 87 min~3.1 km
2026-10-23 05:57spill, 93 min~3.6 km
2026-10-22 20:39spill, 86 min~3.1 km
2026-10-22 20:18spill, 7 min~4.5 km
2026-10-21 21:36spill, 8 min~4.5 km
2026-09-22 09:52spill, 2 min~3.1 km
2026-09-14 09:36spill, 5 min~0.5 km
2026-09-11 10:02spill, 3 min~0.2 km
2026-09-08 06:18spill, 83 min~4.4 km
2026-09-08 06:04spill, 7 min~4.5 km
2026-07-18 15:44spill, 2 min~4.4 km
2026-07-18 14:43spill, 0 min~4.4 km
2026-07-18 14:36spill, 0 min~4.4 km
2026-07-16 00:29spill, 2 min~3.5 km
2026-06-25 09:48spill, 2 min~3.9 km
2026-06-25 09:48spill, 2 min~3.9 km
2026-06-25 09:09spill, 2 min~4.5 km
2026-06-25 09:09spill, 2 min~4.5 km
2026-06-18 12:40spill, 1 min~3.1 km
2026-06-18 12:40spill, 1 min~3.1 km
2026-06-18 09:03spill, 5 min~4.4 km
2026-06-18 09:03spill, 5 min~4.4 km
2026-06-15 10:12spill, 1 min~3.5 km
2026-06-15 10:12spill, 1 min~3.5 km
2026-06-08 08:36spill, 1 min~3.6 km
2026-06-08 08:36spill, 1 min~3.6 km
2026-05-20 10:55spill, 3 min~0.2 km
2026-05-20 10:55spill, 3 min~0.2 km
2026-03-30 10:37spill, 25 min~1.5 km
2026-03-30 10:37spill, 25 min~1.5 km
2026-02-27 22:19spill, 38 min~0.5 km
2026-02-27 22:19spill, 38 min~0.5 km
Take action — email SWW / your MPGot ill here? Build a reportReport pollution

Water quality — 7-year trend

Water quality in 2026 was broadly level with 2025.

YearEA classificationSamplesE. coli (geo-mean)Enterococci (geo-mean)High readings
2019—1211 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2020—312 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2021—2011 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2022—2010 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2023—2013 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2024—2015 cfu/100ml13 cfu/100ml1 of 20
2025excellent2012 cfu/100ml13 cfu/100ml0
2026—2012 cfu/100ml12 cfu/100ml0

Geometric mean of Environment Agency samples per calendar year (the standard bathing-water statistic). "High readings" are samples at or above 500 E. coli or 200 enterococci cfu/100ml.

Polzeath — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Polzeath today?

Polzeath is currently rated RED: Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore. This is guidance only — also check official alerts and use your judgement.

Has there been a sewage spill near Polzeath?

92 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Polzeath in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 26 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Polzeath's bathing water classification?

Polzeath is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
8 min ago (2026-10-24 16:45 UTC)
Sources
Environment Agency (samples & classification), South West Water (overflows), EA EDM (annual spills), Open-Meteo (rainfall & tide). Full list on about.
Confidence
High — official classification, 7 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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