Following the effects of the foot and mouth crisis, British tourism could be set to suffer further with the publication of the European Commission's annual survey on bathing water standards. Lake Windermere in Cumbria, one of the regions worstly hit by foot and mouth, has failed for the first time to meet the minumum standards for water safety. Some 54 per cent of Britain's coastal resorts met the Commission's standards, compared with 96.2 per cent in Holland and 91.9 per cent in Italy. Resorts including beaches in Devon, Dorset and Blackpool failed to meet the standards of the Bathing Water Directive due to the presence of industrial contamination and human waste. A spokesperson for the English Tourism Council said that while the findings are disappointing, overall standards continue to rise. Altogether 94.4 per cent of British beaches complied with minimum standards, up from 77.1 per cent in 1992.