THE news that 57 of the 2,000 competitors in the World Triathlon Championship Series held last week in Sunderland have fallen ill after swimming in the sea is extremely concerning for those who care about the reputation of the North East.

It is disappointing, even embarrassing, for Sunderland that its guests from around the world should fall ill after competing off its Blue Flag beach.

What does this say about the standard of testing that awards Blue Flag status?

Northumbrian Water has said there were no discharges from its network that would affect water quality, and yet three days before the event, Environment Agency sampling found levels of Ecoli to be 39 times higher than usual, although in a stretch of water not used by the swimmers. So was there storm run-off from a farmer using slurry, or was there a rogue patch of contaminated water just floating about in the sea?

We really do need explanations, as none of this makes sense – but it does make people angry. The quality of water in our rivers and on our beaches is going to be an election issue.

And, of course, for the North East, it comes hard on the heels of the other North Sea story that has stuck in the minds of potential visitors: the die-off of vast numbers of crustaceans from Hartlepool down to Whitby which is still unexplained despite two inquiries.

There is no evidence that the two events are related, but they do make one dreadful picture: marine life dies and human life is made ill by exposure to our sea. Wish you were here?

The irony is that County Durham has spent millions and decades Turning the Tide – cleaning up the beaches after the pollution of the mining years. Now we have miles of beautiful sand but we do not have water that is safe enough for the world’s leading athletes to splash around in. How sad!