LOCAL ECO-HERO

Bathers of Yorkshire have ensured a popular outdoor swimming spot is safe for a dip after a two-year campaign. The mile-long stretch along the River Wharfe near Ilkley already attracts up to 1,000 swimmers on sunny days but has suffered contamination in the past by sewage works. The Environment Agency will now take monthly samples to test the water. Thanks to the Ilkley Clean River Group, the site has become England’s first official river-bathing site. Who’s for an alfresco swim?