In more shocking UK sewage news, at LEAST 57 people were taken ill with diarrhoea and sickness and competing in the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland in the North East of England.
An Environment Agency sampling at Roker beach on Wednesday 26 July, three days before the event, showed 3,900 E Coli colonies per 100ml, more than 39 times higher than typical readings the previous month, reports The Guardian.
Triathlon championship in Sunderland
Is that a bad level? Well, it seems that way, as James McConachie tweeted: “I’m responsible for 3 public swimming pools here in Spain. The permitted E-coli density cultured from monthly sampling is 0/100ml. If it’s even 1/100ml, we hyper-chlorinate, close the pool, change the water. 3,900/100ml is mind-blowingly filthy.”
Sewage in Lancashire
It comes as the British world championship triathletes couldn’t train on the other side of the UK, due to high sewage level off the coast of Lancashire.
The @implausibleblog tweeted: “Feb 2023: Thérèse Coffey, “Bathing waters have got much cleaner under this Conservative administration.” August 2023: Guardian, “Fifty-seven swimmers fall sick and get diarrhoea at world triathlon championship in Sunderland.”
Feargal Sharkey wrote: “The empty, vacuous rhetoric versus the reality. Our bathing waters are cleaner than ever versus 57 world class athletes get sicks after sea swim. You decide.”
If you scroll down to bottom of tweet, you will see an image that sums it up.
A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “We have had no discharges from any of our assets that might negatively impact water quality at either Roker or the neighbouring Whitburn North bathing water since October 2021.
“Both bathing waters were designated as ‘Excellent’ in the latest Defra classifications, and sampling to date in the current season indicate this high quality is being maintained.”
Related: Video of sewage goes viral as salary package of water boss revealed
