Author: Paul Dobson
Dozens of wild swimming spots where water quality is classed as “good” or “excellent” were contaminated with human or animal faeces this summer, analysis by The Ferret has found.
Official testing shows 46 of the country’s 89 designated bathing waters – where hundreds of people swim daily – had at least one sample where E. coli or intestinal enterococci (IE) reached unsafe levels.
These bacteria are found in human and animal faeces and can cause stomach bugs, ear and eye infections, and other illnesses.
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