Don't swim in Lancashire's newest bathing site this Easter - here's why
People are being urged not to swim in Lancashire’s newest official bathing site this Easter.
After years of campaigning, last May, Defra officially recognised the River Ribble at Edisford Bridge, Clitheroe, as a Bathing Water Site under the Bathing Water Regulations.
E-coli
But only months later, concerns were raised when The Environment Agency (EA) revealed that water samples taken weekly between May 1 and September 30, 2024 contained evidence of Intestinal Enterococci (IE) and Escherichia coli (E coli) - both types of bacteria that live in the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals. If ingeted, thet can cause severe stomach upsets.
Today the EA has reaffirmed that the Edisford Bridge bathing water is still classified as poor, based on 2024 results, and as such the advice is against bathing.
What does the Environment Agency say?
A spokesman said: “The long-term trend for bathing water quality in the North West remains positive this year with 85 per cent achieving the minimum standard of sufficient. Of these, 61 per cent achieved the highest standards of Excellent or Good.
“We understand the frustration felt by the community at Edisford Bridge, and the poor classification result for 2024 makes us even more committed to working with our partners to improve water quality at this important tourist destination.”
Pollution
The EA said pollution at the site is down to several factors. These include:
What has been done so far?
The EA say regulatory and advisory measures have been implemented in the Ribble catchment to mitigate diffuse agricultural pollution. They say that ongoing investigations are required following the inland bathing water designation to evaluate the impact of upstream discharges.
The body has also collaborated with Hello Lamp Post to implement an innovative project aimed at collecting data on public interactions with local watercourses at the Ribble at Edisford Bridge, leveraging modern technology to enhance bathing water monitoring and citizen science, while encouraging community participation in real-time environmental observations.
Public information
As part of the Bathing Site designation, Edisford Bridge will now display public information about water quality and potential pollution during the bathing water season. The public can also find out where best to swim by getting the latest information on water quality from the Swimfo website.
Any concerns about water quality pollution in rivers and seas should be reported immediately to the EA’s 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 807060