River Nidd: Wild swimmers welcome new bathing site status

Wild swimmers Emma, Ruth and Cathy said the move would help river users make an informed decision before taking a dip

A stretch of the River Nidd at Knaresborough is among 27 new locations to be designated bathing water status.

The move comes after a campaign by the Nidd Action Group to improve water quality in the area and will see summer pollution testing carried out.

Wild swimmers and other river users have welcomed the decision, saying it would lead to a better understanding of how clean the water is.

The new additions mean there are now 451 designated sites across England.

Bathing water status does not guarantee the water is clean, but will result in regular testing from 15 May to the end of September, with the result published on the Environment Agency's Swimfo website.

David Clayden, a fly fisherman and member of the Nidd Action Group, said: "It feels good, but it's just the beginning.

"This is a designation, not an action, so we're going to start understanding better quite how bad it is."

Known as the Knaresborough Lido, the stretch of river is popular with wild swimmers.

Speaking to BBC Radio York about how the bathing site status would benefit her, Cathy said: "It means that I can stop guessing about whether it's clean or not.

"We went by smell and appearance before, but now we will know."

The lido has always been a popular swimming site for tourists and wild swimmers

Fellow swimmer Emma said she had been visiting the site for more than three years but had never put her head or face under the water.

"It's an absolutely beautiful spot and it's a great way to start the day, but there's always that risk you could get poorly," she said.

"I'd like it to be a safer place for all of us."

It is hoped that regular testing could help put pressure on relevant organisations to improve the water quality where necessary.

The Environment Agency will carry out routine water testing at 451 sites across England

Claire Barrow, Area Environment Manager for North Yorkshire at the Environment Agency, said: "Our staff will be out between May and September carrying out significant sampling.

"All of the samples are then taken to our labs and analysed, and then the information becomes available on our Swimfo website for bathers to stay updated."

She said 96% of the sites met minimum water requirements, after the results had been classified.

In the cases where they did not, she said the Environment Agency carried out further investigation to find the cause of problem and, in some cases, impose penalties.

She pointed to a recent £1m payment by Yorkshire Water after it illegally pumped sewage into a stream in Harrogate, £500,000 of which she said would go to projects to improve water quality in the area.

MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Andrew Jones said it had been a "long and wide process" for the lido to be a designated bathing site.

He added that testing would be "at the heart of what happens now" and he was confident that the Environment Agency would continue to back their campaign.