People will be urged not to bathe at a Lake District beauty spot as its water quality is officially poor.
Derwentwater at Crow Park in Keswick has undergone its first full year of monitoring by the Environment Agency since it was granted bathing water status.
The agency said the water had not met the minimum standard for safety from its sampling of it during 2024.
The poor classification indicates elevated levels of bacterial contamination, including E. coli and intestinal enterococci, which can pose health risks to swimmers.
Signs will be erected advising people not to bathe due to potential health risks and inform people about the water quality status.
It was designated a bathing water after an application by West Cumbria Rivers Trust and the National Trust.
Sources of the pollutants may include human and animal waste, agricultural runoff, and wild birds which are resident on Derwentwater.
Further testing will be undertaken to try to identify the causes.
While swimming is a personal choice and not prohibited, people are advised to exercise caution if they choose to ignore the advice against bathing.
Recommendations include:
- Checking the latest water quality updates on the Swimfo website.
- Undertaking a visual assessment of the water before entering
- Avoiding swimming after periods of heavy rainfall.
- Heads up swimming only.
- Washing thoroughly after swimming.
- Covering any cuts or abrasions before entering the water, but water users should not enter the lake with open cuts/wounds
A new community partnership called Friends of Derwentwater has been set up.
Spearheaded by West Cumbria Rivers Trust, members include the National Trust, the Environment Agency, Keswick Town Council, Cumberland Council, the Lake District National Park Authority and the Friends of Derwentwater.
West Cumbria Rivers Trust said the partnership will focus on advocacy, land management, and community engagement to promote long-term solutions for water quality improvement.
Cumbria has a total of 16 sites that have bathing water status, six are on the coast and 10 in the Lake District. The majority are either good or excellent, apart from Derwentwater and Coniston Water Boating Centre, which is also rated as poor.
