Ben Flowe, chairman of Torbay Tri Club, says he checks the quality of the water before allowing people to swim.

"If the water quality is bad, which it has been, especially last year, we have to cancel sessions," he says.

"Members then get upset and we have to say it's for your safety, but that ends up being a detriment to the club."

He says he wants more people to exercise but the bay can't be used all the time due to water quality.

"It's such a shame," he says.

Carole Eves, from Goodrington Sands in Paignton, says she uses an app on her phone to check water quality.

She says her dog Daisy loves swimming and she the app tells her whether there have been any recent spills.

In one of the biggest shake-ups of the water sector in years, the government says water firms will be overseen by a new ombudsman who will tackle leaky pipes, incorrect bills and other issues, external.

Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, South West Water's Adele Barker says the company is ready to be held to account.

"We are very supportive of all the recommendations and we will absolutely work with an ombudsman," she says.

"We want to do anything we can to reassure customers that we are committed to improving services."

Hattie McCann
BBC Radio Devon

I'm at Goodrington North beach, near Paignton in Devon, and I've been paddling and sea swimming with a group of regulars who come here every day.

They've been sharing their concerns about water quality and what they want to change.

It's a lovely day and everybody is enjoying themselves, but they are bothered about what's going into the bay and the price of their bills.

Housing developments are putting pressure on South West Water's network, according to the firm.

Adele Barker, chief people officer at the utility, says: "We are very supportive of housing and what it brings to the economic growth of the region.

"Absolutely we would like to be involved as early as possible in planning decisions so we can work proactively."

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, South West Water's Adele Barker says the company is investing a record £3.2bn over the next five years on improving the network.

"It's part of a wider 15-year investment programme and we are already seeing positive results," she says.

"If we look back to 2023 we have removed three quarters of the top 20 sites that were spilling at the time.

"So we are focussing on the areas we can make the most difference and where customers can be reassured we are doing so."

George Thorpe
BBC News, South West

For people wanting to find out bathing water quality, the Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs run a website with details from designated bathing water areas of England.

A map on the website shows each area, external which is a designated bathing water zone.

Each area is given a rating out of three stars based on the water quality and whether any pollution incidents have been reported.

If an area is deemed to have poor water quality, a warning appears on the site to advice people against bathing there.

Environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage also has a livewater quality page on its website, external which has information about water quality at bathing sites.

Hannah Pearson is the founding director of Friends of the Dart river which campaigns to protect the area.

"We've seen quite a few reports in the last three weeks of illness due to the low river levels and we are investigating what pollution is coming in to the river and where it's coming from," she said.

"We are highlighting pollution issues so we can resolve them in the long term.

"It's not necessarily a lot worse than it has been, but it is more transparent and we are creating transparency.

"We now have 31 testing sites on the Dart that we test weekly.

"We test during high and low rain levels to identify pollution levels.

"At the moment we have seen quite elevated levels of E.coli and that's an indicator of faecal contamination."

Boat Watch member Robin Anderson and his dog Ruby monitor the River Fowey in Cornwall for boats or people in danger.

He spoke to BBC Radio Cornwall's James Churchfield.

"Almost everybody here has a boat or makes use of a boat, village life is river life," he said.

"We are very aware there is a risk of pollution and we'd like to keep in under control as much as humanly possible."

He said more could be done to limit pollution entering the river.

"If you are talking about a lack of investment over about 50 years, it's not something that can be solved overnight.

"I'm sure more can be done but it will take lots of investment over the years to make a long term impact."

Mr Anderson added he would "not hold his breath" over government plans to reduce sewage outfall completely in Cornwall within ten years.

Hannah Smith is the environment officer for Fowey Harbour commissioners.

Her work includes keeping an eye on the health of the estuary.

"We are a working harbour with commercial boats, big cargo ships, swimmers, paddle boarders you name it we've pretty much got it," she said.

She said last year designated swimming lanes were put in around the harbour which are tested by the environment agency and have shown the water quality is good.

Jeremy Rennick grew up in Golant in Cornwall and said he remembers life on the River Fowey before sewage treatment works were in the area.

"The mud banks were much bigger, deeper and smellier as raw sewage was being pumped out of every community," he said.

"The summer regatta use to have mud races where the youth would just run and get covered, our immune systems were boosted off the back of it."

He said there was a big push to put sewage treatment in the area in the 1990s.

"It was amazing how quickly the river recovered and how clean the water is now," he said.

"It just seems like having got to the point where you've got the abundance of wildlife we have now, for that to be lost as a result of what's been going on in the water industry just seems absolutely criminal.

"We've recovered and we can't go back"

Debbie Smith is a Cornwall based paddleboard instructor and kayaks into work each morning on the River Fowey.

"I live on the river and I love it, I dont think there is a day when I'm not on the river," she said. She said calls for real time water quality testing "would be great".

"Because we work her it means we need it to stay beautiful, the water has to be really clear," she said.

"We tell everybody that we think it's lovely and it does look really clear but we are not 100% sure."

She said keeping the waters clear of pollution would not be a "quick fix".

In the meantime she said South West Water could let people know as soon as possible if there are any problems.

"So we can do something about it and we can not get in the water or we can take clients to a different place maybe," she said.

Today we are looking at water quality issues in Devon and Cornwall across BBC radio, television and online platforms. Yesterday, the government promised an overhaul of the water industry after years of complaints over sewage pollution; rocketing bills for customers; and sky-high bonuses for directors.We'll hear from campaigners, experts, members of the public and South West Water to hear their thoughts on what needs to be done to fix water issues across the region.