Beaches branded 'no go' swim sites "awful" for communities
Activists respond to DEFRA labelling of Littlestone and Dymchurch beaches unsafe for swimmers.
Littlestone Beach and Dymchurch are on a list of 20 'no go beaches' released by the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) due to their 'poor' water quality.
It's not the first time either beach has come under scrutiny. Dymchurch beach was also downgraded by the Environment Agency from "sufficient" to "poor" in 2024, and Littlestone Beach was awarded as one of the UK's dirtiest beaches in 2024.
Ed Acteson from SOS Whitstable told us the classifications were hugely detrimental for the local community:
"It's awful. And unfortunately, it's not even the first time that these beaches have been classified this way.
"The fact that we're in April and these beaches have effectively been designated as no-go swimming areas for the entire summer, it's going to be hugely detrimental to those local communities throughout the entire summer, who are absolutely relying on tourism to thrive.
"You would imagine that once a beach has been named the dirtiest in the UK that there would be an almighty effort to repair that damage and to ensure it doesn't happen again.
"So, the fact that once again these beaches have been closed before the summer season has even begun just is absolutely damning, and it shows the absolute lack of effort being put in to fix this problem."
"Kent in particular has a lot of really attractive tourism destinations. Every time that people see these headlines, they're not going to go and visit these places, because why would they?
"Why would they go and sit on the beach and put their children at risk?
"Which means that they're not going to be buying ice creams, they're not going to be buying drinks, they're not going to be staying in hotels. "
Southern Water were asked for comment. Rob Butson, Southern Water’s Bathing Water Lead said:
“84 per cent of the designated bathing waters along our 700 miles of coastline are ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. But although Deal jumped from ‘poor’ to ‘good’ last year, Littlestone and Dymchurch remain below acceptable levels.
"There are many causes of contamination to the sea – we have a duty to ensure our assets are performing properly but other factors also have an important role to play. Illegal connections where wastewater goes into surface drains instead of our sewers, road and agricultural run off, wildlife and human behaviour all have a role.
"Working with the EA, the council and other stakeholders there is a huge focus on understanding what is causing high samples in this area. None of us will rest until the problems are identified and rectified.”