A stretch of the River Swale poses a 'significant health risk' to humans and pets after the most recent data set revealed that the water was over 100 times the threshold that it needs to be to swim in it safely.
The River Swale and pollution have been at the forefront of people's minds in Richmond, North Yorkshire, for the last few years - with a series of tests carried out by citizen scientists and the Save Our Swale campaign group.
Yorkshire Water has expressed its disappointment at the number of sewage discharges in 2023 - but put the increase down to more wet weather.
In the most recent data, which focuses on samples taken from September 2023 to April 2024, Dr Keith Thomas, a citizen scientist, found that the stretch of the Swale at Brompton contained a 'worryingly high' number of bacteria, including E.coli.
According to Dr Thomas's data, water samples at Brompton contained an average of 101,000 coliform bacteria per 100ml of water - 100 times higher than the 500-1000 coliform bacteria threshold the Environment Agency requires for water to be considered safe to bathe in.
In comparison, other parts of the River Swale, including Richmond Falls (2400) and Culloden, showed 2400 and 3000 average coliform bacteria respectively; emphasising the "worrying trend" seen at Brompton.
Revealing the data on Saturday (June 8) at a Save Our Swale meeting in Richmond, Dr Thomas set out his research, which included looking at the flow, colour, foam and debris of the samples - and also found that Brompton had on average 242,000 bacteria per 100ml of water; 180,000 more than any other location.
This now means that signs need to be put up to warn people about the risks of swimming in the River Swale.
He said: "Brompton shows the worst levels of our data set - which shows a serious health risk for anyone that enters the water at Brompton.
"We have been collecting data for several years - and it shows the worrying trend of pollution in the River Swale.
"We have looked at pollution from the Easby Treatment Works, and we're monitoring the levels of bacteria from that."
Alongside the data on bacteria, Dr Thomas and co-founder of the Save Our Swale group, Deborah Meara, noted that 1791 hours of raw sewage had been dumped in the River Swale in Richmond in 2023 - which the latter called "shameful".
Deborah added: "Water companies rely on it being unseen - it looks beautiful from the surface, but underneath, there is sewage and pollution in the Swale.
"We need to stop this damaging trend - and battle back to save our Swale for the next generations."
Previously, the campaign group had been seeking Bathing Water Status for the Swale which would have meant the Environment Agency would do water monitoring.
But it's been revealed that applications for Bathing Water Status have been closed off for the next two years, blocking off that option for Save Our Swale.
Elsewhere, people present heard from Mark Barrow, who has been underwater filming and documenting rivers for the last 35 years - seeing the change in pollution levels and "filming more pollution than fish".
A short film by Mr Barrow was then played at the meeting, which showed murky water, a lack of fish, and the reality of the river swale.
"Brompton is a high-risk level," Mr Barrow told the meeting.
"To protect myself - I have a full disinfection tank - I wouldn't ever enter the river without a dry suit and some form of disinfectant.
"I wouldn't swim in the river - I wouldn't risk it."
From the human risk to the risk to fish and other wildlife, the Save Our Swale meeting then heard from the chair of the Richmond and District Angling Society, Ron Wood, who spoke about the impact pollution of the Swale has had on fish populations and fishing.
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This included Mr Wood noting that the Society had introduced 4000 fish into the river over the last 12 months, with the Environment Agency doing the same - with the hope that the fish will once again populate the length and breadth of the Swale.
Mr Wood said: "Anglers are trying to help where they can - we always fish and out the fish back, never take from the river. We have introduced fish into the Swale and plan to do so again.
"And we are carrying out patrols of where we can improve the situation, and where we can help. We're working with the Environment Agency and doing all we can to help the future of the River Swale."
Responding to the issues set out by Save Our Swale, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving our region’s rivers and were disappointed about the number of discharges in 2023.
"This increase is due to the wet weather experienced in the twelve-month period, which included 11 named storms, and which the Met Office named 2023 the 6th wettest year since its records began in 1836.
"Overflows operate during prolonged or heavy rainfall and multiple storms in close succession can lead to increased discharges due to the storm capacity being used up.
“Our teams worked hard throughout 2023 to reduce discharges as part of our commitment to improve the operation of our network."
The water company said its work includes a £180m programme to reduce discharges across the region, including into the river Swale, by April 2025.
It also said that work is in progress on 62 projects that will reduce discharges from some of the most frequently operating overflows.
The spokesperson added: “Making this investment is by no means a quick fix, and we understand that our customers are interested in how frequently our storm overflows are operating now.
"To increase transparency with our customers, in April this year, we launched an interactive map with near real-time discharge data, showing the live status of the overflow and when they last discharged to the watercourse.
“It is also important to note that river quality can be affected by many potential sources - for example, through farming activity. Our river health improvement team are working with several local groups, such as the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, to identify possible sources of pollution.
"Where necessary, we take action to resolve any issues on our network and support the resolution of any wider issues identified alongside our partners. We hope to continue working closely with communities, stakeholders, and interest groups to improve the health of our rivers together.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson added: “We are determined to improve the quality of our waters and are holding the water industry, farmers and anyone who pollutes our rivers to account on a scale never seen before.
“The River Swale and its surrounding catchments are affected by a number of complex factors and our team of specialist local officers work closely with others to address this challenge.
“This includes carrying out inspections of local sewage works and farms to ensure that they are compliant with their permits to prevent pollution from happening. Where there is evidence of non-compliance, we will not hesitate to pursue the companies or individuals and take appropriate action.
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