Second bathing water status campaign launched on River Wharfe in Yorkshire - this time for Wetherby and Boston Spa

Last year a stretch of the Wharfe near Ilkley became the first inland waterway in the country to be granted the status by DEFRA - meaning the water quality now has to be legally monitored for pollution and contamination.

The designation was achieved after a 'citizen scientists' study organised by the Ilkley Clean River Group, and their local activism has inspired a similar movement downstream in Wetherby and Boston Spa.

Volunteers are now being sought to count how many swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers and others use three parts of the Wharfe around Wetherby Ings, the bandstand near Wetherby Bridge and the weir at Boston Spa before the newly-formed Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group submit their application to the government in October.

If successful, they hope the status could be confirmed by early 2023 - when monitoring of sewage discharges from a nearby treatment plant and other pollution events will become mandatory.

"Ilkley Clean River Group were the first, and it is important that we look across the Wharfe's length and monitor the river at these points to bring about improvements. DEFRA is currently keen to increase the number of bathing water status areas and we see this as a window of opportunity," said Wetherby's Conservative ward councillor Linda Richards.

"Communities have to prove that the river is used by a variety of people and so we are going to do a count recording usage this summer. It is not just swimmers and paddleboarders - the bandstand is often packed with children paddling and it is for the whole community."

A launch event on Saturday July 9 at Wetherby Town Hall (10am-1pm) and Boston Spa Village Hall (1.30pm) will give residents the chance to fill in a questionnaire and volunteer to take part in the count.

"We are hoping that other places in between Wetherby and Ilkley will follow our lead and we want to make people aware of the need to monitor and protect our rivers. Legally, sewage overflows are allowed at certain times and we want to look at whether that is abused or overused. The Environment Agency is very aware that rivers are more heavily used now than they used to be.

"The count has to happen between May and September, during peak usage, and we decided to just go for it - it's been quite sudden. We are hoping for a response by early next year."

The group's website can be visited here.

What would designated bathing water status mean for Wetherby?

If the government gives a second section of the Wharfe official designation as being suitable for swimming, it would mean the Environment Agency would have to regularly test the water for the presence of harmful bacteria such as E.coli.

Bacteria levels rise when rainfall overwhelms sewage pumping stations' storm tanks, causing untreated effluent to enter the river. These discharges are legal in order to prevent leakages into people's homes, and are often permitted by the Environment Agency.

If granted, the Environment Agency would be required to conduct weekly testing during summer and issue pollution risk forecasts, as well as investigating the source of any pollution detected and taking enforcement action.

The campaigners must convince DEFRA that there is high demand for swimming.

Although numerous beaches have the designation, Ilkley was the first occasion an inland waterway had been granted the classification.