Southern Water has spent hundreds of millions of pounds on improving water quality off Sussex beaches.

Now that investment, made during 14 years, is paying off with all but one beach in the county meeting water quality standards set by the European Commission.

No fewer than 18 beaches in Sussex now have a standard of water cleanliness, which could lead to them being awarded a European Blue Flag.

It was not all good news, though, with Worthing failing and beaches at Norman's Bay, Middleton-on-Sea and Bognor faring worse than last year.

Those results show that Southern Water, which has helped improve standards, and potential polluters must be vigilant over keeping water quality as high as possible.

Sewage is the prime source of pollution and Southern Water is doing its best to clean up its act. But other pollution can be caused by the run-off from fertiliser and livestock on fields near rivers or the sea.

Sometimes highly local factors can lead to bad readings such as dogs' mess on beaches, seagulls divebombing the water or even oil from boats.

The results also highlight the need for Southern Water and others to find a solution to improving the sewage discharge for the Brighton area.