The article explains how swimmers in Devon and Cornwall can assess whether sea water is likely to be safe before entering it, amid continuing concern about sewage spills and pollution. It stresses that no single indicator is definitive: a reported spill does not necessarily mean poor water quality, while no alert does not guarantee that the water is clean.

The Environment Agency grades designated bathing waters from “excellent” to “poor” using bacteria samples collected over a rolling four-year period, but its monitoring is seasonal and does not show conditions on a specific day. Swimmers can also use the Swimfo website, Surfers Against Sewage’s app and water-company services such as South West Water’s WaterFit Live; these provide spill and overflow alerts, although they remain active for different periods, including 48 hours on the SAS app and 12 hours 30 minutes after a spill on WaterFit Live.