When going to a beach, swimming is a key part of the experience, so it is important to choose the best for water quality.
There are 30 beaches across East and West Sussex that have been rated for their water quality by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
While many are ‘excellent’, there are some that are only ‘sufficient’, with two even rated ‘poor’ – the lowest possible score.
Here is how every beach is ranked, which may help you decide where to go on your next beach trip.
What are the DEFRA water quality rankings?
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ranks water quality into four classifications, which are:
Excellent – the highest, cleanest class
Good – generally good water quality
Sufficient – the water quality meets the minimum standard
Poor – the water quality has not met the minimum standard
As of November 2025, 87% of designated English bathing waters are rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ by Defra, with 417 sites (93%) meeting minimum standards.
While 297 sites achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating, 32 sites (7%) were classified as ‘Poor’.
The latest results are based on the last four years of testing by the Environment Agency, which monitors for indicators of pollution known to be associated with risks to bathers’ health, specifically E. coli and intestinal enterococci.
Each bathing water has its own pressures, and many factors can influence bathing water quality, including storm overflows, agricultural runoff, birds, dogs, and other local issues.
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30 Sussex beaches ranked for water quality with 2 ‘poor’
There are 30 designated bathing sites in Sussex that have been rated for their water quality by DEFRA.
Here is all of them listed and which category they rank in:
‘Excellent’
West Wittering
Bracklesham Bay
Selsey
Middleton-on-sea
Shoreham Beach
Southwick Beach
Hove
Brighton Kempton
Rottingdean
Saltdean
Seaford
Birling Gap
Normans Bay
St Leonards
‘Good’
Pagham
Felpham
Littlehampton
Goring
Worthing
Lancing
Brighton Central
Eastbourne
Pevensey Bay
Hastings Pelham
Winchelsea
Camber
‘Sufficient’
Bognor Regis East
Bexhill
‘Poor’
Aldwick Beach
Worthing Beach House
Using the data, Locals Insider highlighted the 20 beaches across the country where locals are advised against swimming due to their ‘poor’ water quality.
Major seaside spots like Blackpool, Scarborough, and Weston-super-Mare are among them, as well as Aldwick and Worthing.
Worthing Council said previously that it is working to improve public signage and is looking forward to welcoming a dedicated citizen science facility that will enable residents to also help monitor the quality of the town’s seawater.
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Arun District Council, which looks after the site in Bognor, said previously the rating “does not reflect improvements made since the initial classification” and samples taken this year show “clear improvement”.
It also highlighted the Yellow Fish campaign, which shows how pollutants which enter road surface drains end up in the sea through stickers and signage.
What is your favourite beach to visit in Sussex? Let us know in the comments.