Stunning beach in fear of 'cataclysmic' swimming ban due to water toxins
Dymchurch beach is a popular spot for families but soon it could be devastated by a possible swimming ban.
A stunning UK beach with beautiful white sand is waiting in dread to see if its waters are hit with a 'cataclysmic' no-swim warning.
Dymchurch Beach, which received a Seaside Award for the first time in 2022, could see a low-quality water ranking following a rise of E.coli in the sea.
With miles of flat sand and donkey rides in the summer months, Dymchurch beach is a popular spot for families to flock to in the summer months.
The Kent beach is also an amusement park where you can ride on a 90s-style ghost train or you just laze around taking in the rays.
However, the beach has now been thrown into crisis as earlier this month, Environment Agency’s (EA) figures revealed that E.coli figures at Dymchurch beach on the Romney Marsh had increased in just a matter of weeks.
The EA is responsible for testing samples in bathing areas and categorising their quality, using the rankings Excellent, Good, Sufficient, or Poor. The EA takes 20 samples from each site they monitor every year and tests them for various pollutants to devise the ratings.
The water at Dymchurch over the past four years has contained higher levels of E.coli than neighbouring beaches at Littlestone and St Mary’s Bay – where do-not-swim warnings are already in place after receiving the lowest possible ratings from the EA.
At a meeting of Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s (FHDC) overview and scrutiny committee yesterday, representatives of the EA and Southern Water were questioned by councillors.
A FHDC officer revealed there is a “considerable concern around the test results at Dymchurch”.
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Cllr Tony Hills (Con), who represents Romney Marsh on FHDC and the county council, is fearing a no-swim warning at Dymchurch next year.
He said: “Dymchurch is cataclysmic – I’m the member for Dymchurch, and that’s going to decimate businesses.
“Everybody’s said we need more investment, more time, anything that can be done because this is going to really really hurt the community if the worst happens. I hope it doesn’t, but I personally don’t think the system as I understand it is fit for purpose.”
And now traders face an anxious wait to see whether the devastating guidelines are introduced.
Chimene from Sundaes told KentOnline: “During the summer period, our main clientele is holidaymakers coming to the beach.
“It won't just affect us. So many of the businesses here rely on people visiting the beach.
“If a do-not-swim warning was in place I don't think we’d have to close our business down but it will make things more challenging.”
