An application for Penarth Beach to become a designated bathing water is still seeking support from locals before it reaches the end of its public consultation stage.

The application was sent at the start of this year and requires Welsh Government to identify the beach as a popular bathing area in the country, as well as protect public health from infections such as E. coli.

If the application is successful, the water quality at Penarth Beach will be tested by Natural Resources Wales from May 15 to September 30, considered to be the 'bathing season' every year.

James Tennet, a Penarth resident who submitted the application, currently swims most of the time in Barry, where three locations have achieved bathing water status.

He is keen for Penarth Beach to also be awarded. "I do swim in Penarth every now and again, but we pretty much don't know what the quality of the water is like," said James.

"I'd like to swim more here, which is my main motivation to submitting the application so I can walk down to the beach instead of travelling to Barry.

"But on a more community level, I know there are lots of people swimming in Penarth and since lockdown.

"Some people don't swim there because there are not sure about the water quality, so it's a way to try to get more people swimming, give peace of mind to some, and all the mental health benefits from swimming outdoors."

James thinks that this will also help with tourism. "It should change things. [Penarth Beach] will be on the map as an official swimming beach or water.

"It can only be a good thing to get more people to the beach front and for local businesses here."

There are 105 designated bathing waters in Wales. Results are posted on the Natural Resources Wales website and are ranked of either poor, sufficient, good, or excellent.

The application also includes Col-Huw Beach in Llantwit Major to achieve the same status.

You can read more about the application on the Welsh Government website and fill in some short questions on the online response form.

The public consultation stage runs until February 15.