A stretch of North Yorkshire river popular with swimmers has been granted official bathing water status.
Local campaigners have welcomed the Government’s decision to add the River Swale at Richmond to its list of designated bathing sites.
The decision means the river from the falls upstream for around 100m will be regularly tested by the Environment Agency (EA) to ensure swimmers are informed about water quality.
The Save Our Swale group applied to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs for the designation.
Hilary Plews, from the group, said members were “delighted” the application had been successful.
She added: “The public will now receive some measure of protection from sewage in our rivers as the EA will be required to monitor water quality regularly and notify the public of their results.
“SOS will carry on fighting to clean up the Swale downstream of the Fosse car park, and particularly at Richmond sewage treatment works, where at times our E. coli testing results have been way beyond what is regarded as acceptable.”
Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond and Northallerton, also welcomed the announcement after backing the group’s application.
He said: “This is a beautiful section of the River Swale.
“Enhancing people’s enjoyment of and access to the Swale will bring great benefits to people and also to the wider local economy.”
The site is one of 13 across the country to be given designated bathing status.
The new sites include the first on the River Thames in London, with Little Shore, in Amble, Northumberland, also added to the list.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said: “The introduction of these new bathing sites means better monitoring of our waterways, a boost for local tourism, and greater confidence for local swimmers.
“Following years of indifference towards bathing waters, this government has expanded the number of sites as part of our overhaul of the water sector.”
The Environment Agency monitors water quality at designated bathing water sites during the summer and assesses whether action is needed to cut pollution levels – working with local communities, farmers, and water companies to improve water quality at these locations.
Alan Lovell, EA chair, said: “The growing number of designations across the country reflects the importance communities place in their local environment and water quality.
“If you’re planning on going open water swimming this summer, I’d advise everyone to get informed – checking water quality and conditions before you go.”
