Shorthorn Beach water quality

RED

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Shorthorn Beach is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated RED for swimming — Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore. Its latest Environment Agency classification is excellent (2025), and 156 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. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.
South West Water status: Amber · since 2026-10-24 11:50
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. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.

  • Active overflows nearby: 3
  • Recent overflows (48h): 12
  • Rainfall (48h): 44.4 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-09-17 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

44.4 mm
Rainfall 48h
79.4 mm
Rainfall 7d
8
Outfalls within 5 km
156
Spills (2025, official)
40
Spills 2026 so far (live)
24
Spills last 30d
high 1.79m
Tide now

Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)

In the news nearby

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

Recent spills near here (precise, SWW)

Full spill history near Shorthorn Beach

Download CSV

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

41 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-10-24 13:462026-10-24 14:15winWINSFORD SPST_PSCSOEO_WINSFORD~2.6 km
2026-10-24 13:462026-10-24 14:30RIVER PAR~1.7 km
2026-10-24 13:212026-10-24 13:50winWINSFORD SPST_PSCSOEO_WINSFORD~2.6 km
2026-10-24 13:01ongoing(C) ST AUSTELL BAY~1.3 km
2026-10-24 12:01ongoingSANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-24 11:34ongoingSANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-24 09:142026-10-24 09:28SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-23 20:302026-10-23 21:00SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-23 20:052026-10-23 20:17SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-23 06:452026-10-23 09:01(C) ST AUSTELL BAY~1.3 km
2026-10-23 06:452026-10-23 07:45SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-23 06:252026-10-23 08:46(C) ST AUSTELL BAY~1.3 km
2026-10-23 06:092026-10-23 07:36SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-23 02:532026-10-23 02:57ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-10-23 02:392026-10-23 02:52SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-21 00:152026-10-21 00:27SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-10-19 11:152026-10-19 11:45ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-10-19 11:062026-10-19 11:27ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-09-30 00:302026-09-30 01:15ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-09-30 00:022026-09-30 00:55ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-09-29 21:302026-09-29 23:30ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-09-29 21:082026-09-29 21:33SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-09-08 03:482026-09-08 05:55ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-08-30 14:152026-08-30 14:45ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-08-30 13:532026-08-30 14:30ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-08-29 04:302026-08-29 05:30ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-08-29 03:482026-08-29 05:05ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-08-27 02:332026-08-27 02:55ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-07-22 12:382026-07-22 12:43SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-07-17 07:08ongoingSANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-07-15 11:00ongoingSANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-07-15 10:452026-07-15 14:30SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-07-15 10:302026-07-15 13:45SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-06-03 19:592026-06-03 20:10ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.8 km
2026-06-03 19:532026-06-03 20:06ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~2.6 km
2026-05-19 13:542026-05-19 14:49RIVER PAR~1.7 km
2026-05-08 10:242026-05-08 10:25ST BLAZEY STREAM~1.8 km
2026-05-01 09:152026-05-01 09:18winWINSFORD SPST_PSCSOEO_WINSFORD~2.6 km
2026-02-18 19:402026-02-18 20:00SANDY RIVER~2.8 km
2026-02-01 04:162026-02-01 04:35(C) ST AUSTELL BAY~1.3 km
2025-10-23 07:412025-10-23 07:42ST AUSTELL BAY (C)~3.5 km
41 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-10-24 13:22spill, 43 min~1.7 km
2026-10-24 13:21spill, 29 min~2.6 km
2026-10-24 12:44spill, 106 min~1.3 km
2026-10-24 11:34spill, 146 min~2.8 km
2026-10-24 09:14spill, 14 min~2.8 km
2026-10-23 20:05spill, 12 min~2.8 km
2026-10-23 06:25spill, 128 min~1.3 km
2026-10-23 06:09spill, 86 min~2.8 km
2026-10-23 02:53spill, 4 min~2.8 km
2026-10-23 02:39spill, 13 min~2.8 km
2026-10-21 00:15spill, 12 min~2.8 km
2026-10-19 11:06spill, 21 min~2.8 km
2026-09-30 00:02spill, 53 min~2.6 km
2026-09-29 21:08spill, 25 min~2.8 km
2026-09-29 21:00spill, 123 min~2.6 km
2026-09-08 03:48spill, 128 min~2.6 km
2026-08-30 13:53spill, 20 min~2.8 km
2026-08-29 03:48spill, 77 min~2.6 km
2026-08-27 02:33spill, 22 min~2.6 km
2026-07-22 12:38spill, 6 min~2.8 km
2026-07-17 07:08spill, 7462 min~2.8 km
2026-07-15 11:00spill, 2490 min~2.8 km
2026-07-15 10:30spill, 14 min~2.8 km
2026-06-03 19:59spill, 11 min~2.8 km
2026-06-03 19:59spill, 11 min~2.8 km
2026-06-03 19:53spill, 13 min~2.6 km
2026-06-03 19:53spill, 13 min~2.6 km
2026-05-19 13:54spill, 55 min~1.7 km
2026-05-19 13:54spill, 55 min~1.7 km
2026-05-08 10:24spill, 1 min~1.8 km
2026-05-08 10:24spill, 1 min~1.8 km
2026-05-01 09:15spill, 2 min~2.6 km
2026-05-01 09:15spill, 2 min~2.6 km
2026-02-18 19:40spill, 21 min~2.8 km
2026-02-18 19:40spill, 21 min~2.8 km
2026-02-01 04:16spill, 20 min~1.3 km
2026-02-01 04:16spill, 20 min~1.3 km
2026-01-08 11:29spill, 2 min~1.1 km
2026-01-08 11:29spill, 2 min~1.1 km
2025-10-23 07:41spill, 1 min~3.5 km
2025-10-23 07:41spill, 1 min~3.5 km
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Water quality — 7-year trend

Water quality worsened in 2026: average E. coli was 23% higher than 2025.

YearEA classificationSamplesE. coli (geo-mean)Enterococci (geo-mean)High readings
2019—1312 cfu/100ml13 cfu/100ml1 of 13
2020—312 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2021—2013 cfu/100ml14 cfu/100ml1 of 20
2022—2011 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2023—2010 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2024—1512 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent1010 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2026—1012 cfu/100ml13 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.

Shorthorn Beach — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Shorthorn Beach today?

Shorthorn Beach is currently rated RED: Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore. This is guidance only — also check official alerts and use your judgement.

Has there been a sewage spill near Shorthorn Beach?

156 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Shorthorn Beach in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 40 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Shorthorn Beach's bathing water classification?

Shorthorn Beach is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
10 min ago (2026-10-24 15:00 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, 8 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
Download
Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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