Calls for water testing at bathing spots all year

Campaigners and an MP hope testing will be done throughout the year

Swimming hotspots in Devon should be tested throughout the year, campaigners and an MP have said.

Five locations in the county were made designated bathing water sites following community campaigns, including sites on the River Dart and the River Erme.

The spots are tested each day between 15 May and 30 September for bacteria including E. coli.

The government said it was planning a consultation to look at bathing water regulations - including when testing took place.

Hannah Pearson said people needed to know "if they're going to become ill"

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby has called for testing to take place throughout the year.

Hannah Pearson, founder of Friends of the Dart, said the group was backing the calls from the MP and it would be testing throughout the year as part of their campaign to push for cleaner water.

Ms Pearson said she started the group originally after people reported getting ill from swimming in the river.

She said: "I think it's really important that the Environment Agency tests all year round because bathing season is not just mid May until the end of September.

"People need to be informed. They need to know what's in the water [and] they need to know if they're going to become ill."

In February, people in North Devon said they had been deterred from swimming due to concerns about the water quality in the sea and rivers.

Ahead of the meeting, South West Water said reducing storm overflows, which are used to relieve pressure on the network, was a "top priority".

Robert Worthington said testing was for all users of the water, not just swimmers

Friends of the Dart member Robert Worthington said people should be comfortable to go in the water "all year round".

He said it was not "just swimmers", but also "kayakers, paddleboarders, a whole range of different people who are at risk if they don't know what the quality of the water is".