Among those likely to be ruled too polluted for bathing are popular resorts such as East Looe and Penzance in Cornwall, Lyme Regis in Dorset, Blackpool in Lancashire, and Southsea in Hampshire.

They have been favourite bank holiday destinations for British families for decades and the local economies rely heavily on the large numbers of visitors that the beaches attract.

Others at risk are Seaton Carew Centre beach near Hartlepool, which won a blue flag award last year, and Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, which is currently rated as having the highest standards of bathing water.

The change in regulations is likely to anger many in seaside communities who see further tightening of the regulations as unnecessary.

Since the current standards were put in place under the European Bathing Water Directive in the 1970s, much of the sewage outflow that caused pollution has been dramatically reduced.

But the new rules will leave beaches more vulnerable to water running off farmland where leakage from animal dung and silage can lead to elevated levels of harmful bacteria and from urban areas where misconnected drains can lead to pollution.

Dog fouling and bird droppings are also considered to be major sources of bacteria that can lead to beaches failing safety tests and as a result, some local authorities have resorted to banning dog owners from walking their pets on beaches in an attempt to reduce pollution from their waste.

The heavy rains and flooding during last year also resulted in the water quality in many areas falling significantly as sewers and drains overflowed and surface pollution from roads and farmland was washed into the sea.

Testing by the Marine Conservation Society showed that only 403 beaches could be classed as suitable for swimming.

However, a revised European Bathing Water Directive which is due to come into force in 2015 will require water to be twice as clean to achieve the highest standard a rating of Excellent.

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Beaches to be blacklisted for swimming under new EU rules