E. coli ridden river could get status as bathing spot

A STRETCH of a Suffolk river that has been found with unsafe levels of E. coli is set to become a designated bathing spot under government plans.

The section of the Deben at Waldringfield in Suffolk would become only the third river to be accorded the right, meaning the Environment Agency must monitor it for safety.

The river has previously been found to have levels of E. coli “way above” government guidelines, with anecdotal reports of some swimmers becoming ill after entering the water.

Campaigners who have pushed for the designation say they hope it will encourage water firms to invest in infrastructure to help clean up the river.

Data from 2021 show water firms released treated and untreated sewage into the river for dozens of hours.

The Environment Agency (EA) says E. coli pollution can come from a number of sources, including wild animals and agricultural run-off.

Several other bids for river bathing water status were rejected, including one at Woodbridge, also on the River Deben.

Campaigners from the group Save the Deben said that their application had been rejected because the number of visitors was deemed too low.

“If the numbers were too low, surely it’s because swimmers are scared off by the seven sewage outlet points draining into the river in the Woodbridge stretch,” Ruth Leach, a local councillor, told the East Anglian Times.

If the sites are designated, the EA will take samples during the bathing season between May 15 and Sept 30.