A picturesque river in a cathedral city was granted official designated bathing status, only for tests to reveal it was polluted with sewage a mere 13 days later.
The water at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, Wiltshire, was declared unsafe for swimming less than two weeks after its new designation.
Families were promptly warned against paddling at the site due to alarmingly high levels of bacteria in the water.
Subsequent tests at Queen Elizabeth Gardens confirmed that sewage pollution originating from upstream recycling works had rendered the area unsafe for public use.
The river was officially recognised as a bathing water area on 15 May, but a pollution alert was issued on 28 May after the Environmental Agency (EA) detected very high levels of E.coli and intestinal enterococci, both key indicators of sewage contamination.
The advisory against bathing remained in place until 1 June, allowing time for any residual impacts to clear.
Volunteers have previously sampled the site weekly for nitrates, phosphates and ammonia – but not for E.coli.
Wessex Water said the pollution in Salisbury was caused by a blocked sewer rather than storm overflow discharges, and pointed to wider work it is carrying out to improve water quality in the area.
Concerns were raised about the bacteria harming the nearby protected chalk streams, which are some of the rarest eco-systems in the world.
Queen Elizabeth Gardens were opened in the early 1960s to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
Situated just outside the city, it is known for its views of the iconic 404-foot high cathedral.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We issued advice against bathing in the River Avon at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury because of pollution upstream.
“Our teams worked quickly to find and take action to stop the pollution, but as a precaution the advice against bathing remained in place until Monday morning (June 1) to allow enough time for any residual impacts to clear.”
Campaign group For The Love of Water (FLOW) has supported the successful application for bathing water status.
Adam Ellis, director at Flow, said: “We are proud of the community in Salisbury for coming together to secure the designation of this popular river spot as an inland bathing water.
“The first two samples taken on May 18 and 26 had very high levels of E.Coli and intestinal enterococci, both indicative of sewage pollution.
“We understand that the Environment Agency and Wessex Water investigated this immediately and identified a blocked sewer that was surcharging into a surface water drain upstream of the site.
“We have been advised that this has now been fixed. We would like to praise both organisations for a rapid response.
“This incident shows the importance of bathing water designation for popular river recreation sites; without the Environment Agency’s bathing water sampling, this pollution could have persisted for months or even years.
“This would have endangered families enjoying the site downstream and impacted fish and other aquatic life in this protected chalk river.”
He gave a reminder to residents, saying: “Be careful about what you flush down the loo; items like used cooking fat and wet wipes can cause blockages, which may lead to pollution incidents or sewage backing up into properties. Stick to the Three Ps – Pee, Poo, and Toilet Paper.”
A Wessex Water spokesperson said that nearby Shrewton Water Recycling Centre, which serves part of the Avon catchment, is a “high groundwater” site where groundwater entering the sewer network can cause overflows to operate automatically to prevent flooding.
They said: “The groundwater reaching Shrewton goes through three stages of treatment, including constructed reed beds, before being returned to the environment.
“What is discharged is now in fact cleaner than the standards set for the fully treated sewage at this site.”
They said they are planning to install artificial intelligence monitors that will provide near real-time water quality information to people using the river at the Queen Elizabeth Gardens.
The spokesperson said: “As a newly designated bathing water, there is currently very limited data available.”
Following the successful bathing water applications at Fordingbridge and Queen Elizabeth Gardens, FLOW is now backing a community bid for a third designated site on the River Nadder at Lower Bemerton Recreation Ground in Salisbury.
