High levels of E. coli have been found in a west Dorset river with campaigners branding it as "toxic".

Campaign group Turn Lyme Green submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Environment Agency surrounding bacteria levels in the River Lim.

Turn Lyme Green said its interpretation of samples taken at the river showed that there was an average of 22,815 units of E. coli per 100ml of water. The lowest reading was 1,700 units per 100ml and the highest was 56,000 per 100ml. 

One unit of E. coli per 100ml of water is regarded as unsafe to drink whilst swimming beaches are recommended not to exceed 88 units per 100ml, and beaches not designated for bathing should not exceed 406 units per 100ml.

Vicki Elcoate, from Turn Lyme Green and who is leading the River Lim Monitoring Group, said: “It’s a toxic level - way above an acceptable drinking water level or bathing water standards. People have been concerned about it for a very long time and it’s no good for anyone.

“Since we’ve shared our concerns and put pressure on (the water company) they reckon they’ve cleared 70% of the illegal discharges and it just shows that if the community really gets together then we can clean this up.

“We all need to stand together and say we want an end to discharges in our rivers and on our beaches.”

Environmental campaigners have previously met with representatives from South West Water and the Environment Agency to discuss their concerns over what they called the “disgraceful” pollution of the river.

Ms Elcoate said, in 2021, 680 hours of sewage outflows were discharged into the river.

South West Water said there was a "wide range of influences" on river water quality and "less than 20%" fell within the "direct control of water companies".

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “E. coli is an indicator of faecal contamination from sewage or animal waste. While it is not appropriate to compare the data with drinking water standards, the levels of E. coli  found in the Lim are high. However, there are currently no standards for E. coli levels in river water, unless the site is a designated bathing water.

“We believe this contamination is derived from a combination of sources including agriculture in the upstream catchment, private sewerage misconnections in Lyme Regis and from birds roosting along the Lim river corridor through Lyme Regis.

"We are working with South West Water to resolve the sewerage misconnection issues that we have identified and are planning to undertake additional monitoring on the River Lim next summer."

A spokesperson for South West Water said: “South West Water’s largest environmental investment programme in 15 years, WaterFit, is now well underway, focused on delivering benefits for customers, communities and the environment.

"Through WaterFit, we are increasing investment in our wastewater network to dramatically reduce our use of storm overflows as part of our plans to reduce our impact on rivers by one-third by 2025, as we look to ensure we are not the reason for any river failing to meet ecological standards by 2030.

“There is a wide range of influences which affect river water quality, including agricultural and urban run-off, and we recognise that to improve the quality of our rivers, we all need to play our part. As such, we continue to work closely with local stakeholders and partners on improvements to the environment.”