§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in improving the sea water quality at coastal towns in the United Kingdom; and if he is satisfied with the progress made on sea water quality at Southend-on-Sea.
§ Mr. HowardSome 60 per cent. of our bathing waters now meet the mandatory standards of the EC bathing 631W water directive. At Southend-on-Sea, although the recently extended outfall has brought about substantial improvements to water quality, further measures are being considered to deal with the problem of storm overflows.