It is good news that Westward Ho! beach has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status for the 23^rd year running and a huge accolade for the many local people and organisations who keep our natural heritage safe and clean. But news has also arrived that Westward Ho! is one of the worst beaches in the country for reports of water-borne sickness – mainly gastric – from bathers. So, what is going on?

One of Torridge’s scrutiny committees got to explore this anomaly last week. Blue Flag status requires a range of well-managed amenities such as toilets, waste collection and lifeguard services. To be eligible to apply, the water quality – as tested by the Environment Agency weekly during the bathing season – must be classed as excellent. 

Tests take place by the slipway, about a kilometre away from the emergency sewage outlet at Cornborough, which was used ten times last year. Councillors were told that any sewage is quickly dispersed into the ocean, away from the bathing area. There are two potential gaps then, in the Environment Agency’s testing: they may not be doing it in the right place to pick up harmful bacteria, or at the right time. 

This is where the stats on water-borne illnesses, collected by the pressure group Surfers Against Sewage, come in. A report in the iPaper claimed that the risk of illness from bathing at Westward Ho! is the fourth highest in the country – a misleading headline because the number of self-reported illnesses is not the same as risk. Bathers at Westward Ho! may have been more eager to report than in other places. The numbers are in any case low – 10 reports in 2025, none so far this year. The total of 96 covering the whole 6-year period in which Surfers Against Sewage has been collecting the data is a small sample on which to establish a league table. The pressure group themselves admit that it is not possible to establish a causal link between reported illness and sewage spills. 

We know there are lies, damn lies and statistics. So, whilst we should not panic about the risk of illness, there is no room for complacency. As one councillor put it, any sewage discharge into our rivers and seas is one too many. South West Water must continue to clean up its act, and the public must keep up the pressure to ensure that it does.