An urgent 'do not swim' warning has been issued at a UK beach for an entire year after dangerous levels of bacteria were found in the water. Faecal matter has been uncovered at St Mary's Bay on Romney Marsh in Kent by the Environment Agency and swimmers are now being told to stay away throughout 2023.
The public body is investigating what led to the bacterial spike but believe the issue is likely down to pollution, the Mirror reports. An Environment Agency spokesman said: "[We] will continue to work with its partners to fully investigate the reasons for the decline in bathing water quality at St Mary's Bay.
"All agencies involved are working to identify, remove and reduce the sources of the pollution to ensure that the status of this bathing water improves. As part of our investigations, we are monitoring several potential sources of pollution including septic tanks, misconnections and potential sources of diffuse pollution."
