Findhorn’s bathing water has received another top class rating by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency

Local coastal waters have been awarded the highest rating for environmental standards.

The sea around Findhorn has been classified as ‘Excellent’ by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), reflecting an ongoing positive trend for Scottish bathing water quality since classifications were first reported against new regulations in 2015.

Principal scientist for Bathing Waters at SEPA, Ruth Stidson, confirmed there was a record number in Scotland for 2025, with 87 per cent achieving Excellent or ‘Good’ classifications.

She said: “Scotland’s bathing waters monitoring programme has significantly expanded since it began in 1988. It has helped identify pollution issues so crucial improvement measures can be implemented and pollution reduced at the source.

“We will continue our work to ensure these improvements are sustained and where necessary further improvements are made, so people can enjoy our bathing waters now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, the waters at Nairn central and east beaches were rated as ‘Good’, while across the Moray Firth Rosemarkie was also classed as Excellent.

Classifications are calculated at the end of the bathing water season using data from the previous four years. They apply to bathing waters for the duration of the following season.

In 2015, there were 84 designated bathing waters, of which 17 were Excellent. For the year ahead, Scotland will have 89 designated bathing waters, of which 50 are Excellent and just three per cent (Lower Largo, Kinghorn Harbour Beach and Fisherrow Sands) rated as ‘Poor’.

SEPA routinely analyses water quality at all of Scotland’s 89 designated bathing water sites during the summer months to protect human health.

Bacteria from dog fouling and gulls pollutes bathing waters. Visitors can reduce this by picking up after their dog and not feeding gulls.

Heavy rain can wash contaminants off land, together with overflows from sewage systems. As such, bathing is not advised during or one-two days after heavy rainfall due to the risk to bathers’ health. At 30 bathing waters, SEPA makes daily water quality predictions and displays these online and on electronic signs at beach locations.

In tandem with environmental monitoring, SEPA works with operators and stakeholders across the country to direct action, including millions of pounds of investment, to improve bathing water quality.

SEPA works with Scotland’s farming community to reduce the risk of water pollution from rural diffuse pollution. This has included increased slurry storage, fencing, alternative sources of livestock watering, and the planting of riparian “buffer zones” to move farming activities back from watercourses. Many of the measures have been supported by Scottish Government funding.

Quantifiable improvements to the water environment are now being evidenced through water sampling data in recent years.

National rural unit manager at SEPA, Stephen Field, added: “Many rural land managers have since implemented measures over and above minimum regulatory requirements to address pollution issues arising from their farming activities.

“We’ll continue to engage with land managers and other relevant parties to promote the importance of maintaining regulatory compliance to ensure bathing waters are maintained at a high standard.”

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin, also believes we are seeing the benefits of continued investment in protecting and improving bathing waters, and targeted work in priority catchments.

She finished: “There is still work to do to ensure that all designated bathing waters meet the required standards. We want to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy our bathing waters, which is why we continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality.”