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A hat trick for the Island's seawater quality - so don't forget your cossie!
Every beach on the Isle of Wight tested for bathing water quality has met European standards for the third successive year, so for those visiting the Island this summer the message (and the water) couldn't be clearer - don't forget your cossie!
With around 60 miles of coastline, beautiful bays and long sandy beaches, it's easy to see why the Island is so popular with families. With facilities that include trampolines, bouncy castles, crazy golf and kids playgrounds, resorts like Sandown, Shanklin and Ryde offer visitors 'all the fun of the fair' while watersports are also widely available. Get into the local surfing scene at Colwell Bay, or visit during White Air held on the seafront at Sandown (18-21 September 2008, www.whiteair.co.uk) where you can 'have a go' yourself and watch as the professional surfers perform incredible stunts just yards from the beach.
In this latest round of tests, the Environment Agency sampled thirteen Island beaches for cleanliness to pass bathing water directive European 'good' standards. They were Compton Bay, Totland Bay, Colwell Bay, Gurnard Bay, Cowes, St Helens, Whitecliff Bay, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor, Ryde, Seagrove Bay and Bembridge.
John Spence, Southern Water's waste water and environmental strategy manager, said: "This was one of the wettest summers on record and run-off from roads and farmland or storm overflows entering the sea during heavy rain could have affected standards.
"We are delighted that, despite the rain, beaches on the Island have again met European standards."
For more information is available at the Defra website