Only 93 per cent of England's beaches pass minimum standards, down from 98 per cent in 2010

By Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor

PUBLISHED: 12:48 EST, 6 November 2012 | UPDATED: 12:51 EST, 6 November 2012

The wettest summer on record lead to an increase in the number of beaches breaking clean water standards.

The latest water quality tests found that 93 per cent of Englands bathing spots reached the mandatory minimum levels, compared to 98 per cent in 2011.

Around England, 29 coastal sites failed to make the minimum grade, up from just nine spots last year, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) showed.

Strong winds and high seas have continued to batter the country throughout the summer, including this scene from Selsey in West Sussex

And only 59 per cent met tougher guideline standards for water quality, a large drop on 2011 when almost four-fifths (79 per cent ) reached the higher level.

Across the UK as a whole, the number of beaches meeting water standards also fell, with those meeting guideline standards dropping from 77 per cent last year to 60 per cent in 2012 and those achieving the minimum grade falling from 98 per cent in 2011 to 94 per cent this year.

The fall came as the UK suffered the wettest summer for a century, with heavy rainfall washing pollution from cities and the countryside into rivers and down to the sea.

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Rise in number of dirty beaches blamed on wettest ever summer