Are Isle of Wight beaches full of sewage? Is it safe to swim?

Colwell Bay is rated 'excellent' by the Environment Agency for summer swimming - but it's worth checking daily updates

I'm a big fan of swimming in the sea. Mrs Guru is much less keen, but I remain optimistic that one day she will clamber onto my paddleboard and realise the joys of splashing around at Compton Bay on a sunny evening.

But is it still safe to swim at the Isle of Wight's beaches despite news report about sewage being pumped into the sea? 

Personally, I am still happy to swim at the Isle of Wight's beaches in summer. In fact, the data suggests that most Isle of Wight beaches are amongst the cleanest in England in summer (admittedly that might be a low bar).

However, I also think that sewage in seas is a total scandal and I am certainly not waving it aside as a non-issue (I've written to my MP and done other campaigning things).

Here's a few key points before you squeeze into your budgie smugglers or microkini.

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1. ​Sewage in seas is a UK scandal, not just an Isle of Wight scandal

The Isle of Wight has a sewage problem, but it's a much wider issue that is affecting beaches and rivers across the country. 

My concern is that people will avoid the Isle of Wight after reading a few news stories when that's not really a fair impression of what is going on.

It's a contentious and confusing area, with contradictory information at every turn. 

According to a BBC news article from 2024:

"All 11 water and wastewater companies in England and Wales are now under scrutiny over sewage spills, after the regulator said it was expanding its investigation."

The Independent produced a map in 2023 showing 'overspills'. The maps shows a significant blob for the Isle of Wight, but there are blobs all over the map - many of which are much bigger. It also lists the 10 'areas in the UK with highest overspill count' with the top three being Cornwall, Carmarthenshire and County Durham. The Isle of Wight doesn't make the top 10 in this particular Top of the Plops.

On the other hand, it's worth pointing out that Southern Water (covering Kent, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and East & West Sussex) "remains subject to enforcement monitoring following a previous case in 2019, Ofwat said. It was fined £90m in 2021 after pleading guilty to 6,971 "unpermitted sewage discharges" (BBC article) Yummy!

Also worth mentioning is that a 2023 report highlighted Cowes as coming 'bottom for sewage' (no pun intended) across the whole country, based on the number of hours that sewage was released into the sea.

To clarify, I am certainly not denying there is a problem but I am trying to point out that the UK has a sewage problem - not just the Isle of Wight.

St Helens in the East Wight is a decent beach for high-tide swimming

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2. Some beaches are cleaner than others - but the Isle of Wight is 'good' or 'excellent' overall

The Environment Agency spends a significant amount of (your) money testing the quality of 'designated bathing spots' in England. Personally, I think this is money well spent but there's no point doing it unless we use the data to help us make decisions.

These are beaches and rivers that it thinks people are likely to swim in - including 15 on the Isle of Wight.

Each bathing spot is given a score ranging from zero to three stars, like a reverse Michelin star rating for poo. They test the water for bacteria during the summer months, and then give an annual rating.

This is particularly useful as it takes into account factors other than sewage pipes pumping out into our seas.

In some areas, pollution from farming is a problem, whilst in other areas bird poo is a big problem (you shouldn't give your chips to seagulls as it encourages them to hang around the beach and poo in the water).

It also takes into account what happens when sewage is pumped into the sea. Does it hang around like a bad smell (literally) or does it float away from swimming areas (still unpleasant but a little better for bathers).

On this ranking system, the Isle of Wight is one of the best and cleanest areas in England. Of the 15 beaches, 11 are rated excellent (three stars) whilst four are rated as good (two stars). None are given ratings of one star or zero stars.

Meanwhile, famous beaches such as Blackpool, appropriately named Bognor and Weston Super Mare all score zero for at least one beach in the area. Cornwall and Devon both have at least one beach with a one star rating.

Here are the eleven Isle of Wight beaches with the highest possible 'excellent' rating for swimming water quality in summer - along with links to places to stay nearby. They are in alphabetical order rather than in order of cleanliness.

1. Colwell Bay (near Away Resorts The Bay Colwell)
2. Compton Bay (see our West Wight guide)
3. Cowes (see our Cowes accommodation guide)
4. East Cowes
5. Seagrove
6. Shanklin (near Parkdean Resorts Landguard Holiday Park and Parkdean Resorts Lower Hyde Holiday Park)
7. St Helens (near Away Resort's St Helen’s Coastal Resort and Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Holiday Park)
8. Totland Bay
9. Ventnor (see our Ventnor hotels guide)
10. Whitecliff Bay (near Away Resorts Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park)
11. Yaverland (see our Sandown accommodation guide)

And here are the four beaches with a 'good' rating

1. Bembridge 
2. Gurnard (see our Cowes accommodation guide)
3. Ryde/Appley (see our Ryde accommodation guide) 
4. Sandown (see our Sandown accommodation guide)

I want to emphasise again that these water quality tests are only done from May to September. In all likelihood, the sea will be dirtier in winter as it rains more and causes overspills.

Compton Bay is one of 11 beaches with the highest rating possible for summer pollution levels

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3. check the Surfers Against Sewage map before you swim

Some beaches will be still be polluted on certain days, despite having a good or excellent 'annual rating'.

This is particularly true if it has been raining whilst you are on holiday on the Isle of Wight.

For this reason, I would advise checking the Surfers Against Sewers map which shows sewage spills.

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Summing up

I'm not an expert on environmental health or hydrodynamics, but here's my opinion, which you should feel free to ignore.

Sewage in the sea is appalling but my opinion is that it shouldn't stop you visiting the Isle of Wight and needn't stop you swimming in the sea in summer.

I regularly swim at Isle of Wight beaches and am happy for my children to swim in the sea. 

I probably wouldn't let them swim in the sea in winter, but that's not a big problem for us as it's colder than an ice bucket challenge (it's a big problem if you're a surfer, as the waves are best in winter).

It's also an easier decision as neither of my children are inclined to dunk their head under water and accidentally drink a couple of pints.

We always check the Surfers Against Sewage map and don't swim at a beach if a warning plops up.

If you would like to write to your MP about this issue, you can get their contact details from They Work For You.