When Russell Brand and Bear Grylls took a dip at Henley-on-Thames in late April for Brand’s much-vaunted baptism, let’s hope for their sake that the water was first tested for E.coli. British waterways are rife with the harmful bacteria, along with other nasties, and for the thousands of keen outdoor swimmers diving into the waters this summer, the levels of pollution and sewage is cause for alarm.
In response to the rise in recreational use of water, the Royal Academy of Engineering published a new report, outlining the need to step up the protection of the quality of water in the UK’s rivers. Backed by Chris Whitty, it covers the quality of water in the UK’s rivers – and how human faecal matter is being discharged from sewage treatment works into waterways, rivers, wetlands and estuaries.
I’m not sure many people would care either way if Brand was exposed to E.coli. A strange way to lead this article. But I suppose it’s the Telegraph.
