Walney Biggar Bank
Caution
This spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.
Checked against the Environment Agency (England) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
14.7°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
0.4 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Coming in
- High water around UTC
- Low water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
This spot’s record
Walney Biggar Bank is in Westmorland and Furness, about 3 km from Barrow-in-Furness. Walney Biggar Bank was rated Sufficient in 2025 by the Environment Agency (England). Its previous classifications were Good in 2024, Good in 2023 and Excellent in 2022, so the rating here has moved rather than held. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environment Agency (England), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 1,700 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 11 September 2026. A classification is calculated from percentiles across four seasons, so no single reading decides how this water is rated.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environment Agency (England), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sept | 18 | 10 | — |
| 11 Sept | 1700 | 180 | — |
| 8 Sept | 10 | 27 | — |
| 28 Aug | 230 | 100 | — |
| 24 Aug | 64 | 10 | — |
| 13 Aug | 10 | 10 | — |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Quality over the last 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Good2023
- Good2024
- Sufficient2025
This water has declined, from Excellent in 2022 to Sufficient in 2025.
Facilities & access
- Parking
- YesCar park about 250 m away (OpenStreetMap)
Storm overflows nearby
None of the storm overflows within 5 km with an up-to-date reading are discharging. Heavy rain makes combined sewers overflow into rivers and the sea by design, so this changes with the weather.
- Not dischargingabout 1.7 km awayDischarges into Walney ChannelReported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 1.7 km awayDischarges into Walney ChannelLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 1.7 km awayDischarges into Walney ChannelLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 2.3 km awayDischarges into Walney ChannelLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 3.7 km awayDischarges into Mill Beck/Cavendish DockLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 3.7 km awayDischarges into Ormsgill ReservoirLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 3.7 km awayDischarges into Ormsgill ReservoirLast discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
- Not dischargingabout 3.7 km awayDischarges into Ormsgill Reservoir (via a surface water sewer)Last discharge ended Reported by United Utilities
These are the water company’s own reports of when an overflow is operating, not a measurement of the water at this spot. A discharge into a river some distance away may never reach here; a quiet list does not mean the water is clean. The swim status above comes from the bathing-water monitoring body and does not use this data.
Official water quality
Classified Sufficient in 2025.
Official bathing-water profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Walney Biggar Bank right now?
- Walney Biggar Bank is currently marked "Caution". This spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade. This reflects the latest data published by the Environment Agency (England). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- What is the water quality like at Walney Biggar Bank?
- the Environment Agency (England) classified Walney Biggar Bank as Sufficient in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
- Is there a swimming ban or warning at Walney Biggar Bank?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environment Agency (England) for Walney Biggar Bank. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- What facilities are there at Walney Biggar Bank?
- Walney Biggar Bank has parking. Facility information comes from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Get told when this changes
We’ll email you when the swim status at Walney Biggar Bank moves — a pollution alert opening, or one lifting. Not a newsletter: only this spot, only when it changes, at most once every 12 hours.
Your address is used for these alerts and nothing else, is never shared, and is deleted the moment you unsubscribe — a link is in every email.
Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Barrow-in-Furness — about 3 km away.