§ Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will pay an official visit to the beaches along the English side of the Bristol channel, to observe the degree of pollution apparent both on the beach and in the sea.
§ Mr. Howard[holding answer 13 July 1989]: My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit the Bristol channel. He receives regular reports from the Wessex and South West water authorities on the quality of bathing waters along the English side of the Bristol channel, and local authorities are responsible for dealing with the pollution of beaches. Water authorities have been asked to draw up improvement programmes with the aim of bringing all bathing waters identified under the EEC bathing water directive into compliance by the mid-1990s.