Hundreds pack meeting about harbour water quality

Hundreds of residents packed a public meeting about harbour water quality after a sudden spike in E. coli levels in a nearby river.

Regular testing of the River Stour in Christchurch, Dorset, by Christchurch Harbour and Marine Society (CHAMS) revealed a huge jump in bacteria levels in mid-August.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had not been able to identify the source of the spike and subsequent sampling found E. coli levels to be "within the range we would expect".

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP), which hosted Tuesday's meeting, said it backed community efforts to make the harbour a designated bathing area, requiring the EA to monitor water quality from May to September.

It said it would also develop its own Christchurch Harbour protection policy.

Some people were turned away from the 500-capacity hall at the Regent in Christchurch where attendees questioned a panel, including representatives of the EA, Wessex Water and Natural England.

BCP chief executive Aidan Dunn said: "I'm sorry that some residents were unable to take part because the venue reached its health and safety maximum capacity.

"Whilst the council has limited power itself over water quality, this event has shown that we can bring people and organisations together and convey the importance our residents place on the quality of their local environment."

CHAMS figures showed E. coli levels in the Stour peaked on 19 August at 370,000 E. coli colony-forming units (cfu)/100ml of water compared with 4,217 E. coli cfu/100ml for the same week in 2025.

Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for systematic testing of recreational waters, saying: "Citizen scientists should not have to discover dangerous levels of faecal bacteria before the authorities do."

The EA said it did not "routinely monitor non-bathing waters such as the River Stour for E. coli because its presence has no direct impact on the river's ecology".

A spokesperson said: "Our sampling showed E. coli levels to be within the range we would expect to see in Christchurch Harbour.

"We have thoroughly checked water company discharges and investigated other potential sources of pollution linked to the elevated E. coli readings and are yet to identify a source."

The UK Health Security Agency said the number of E. coli cases in Dorset were comparable with last year, and did not exceed what it would expect.

It added that there were a number of routes of transmission for E. coli, making it difficult to confirm an exact source of any illness.

Wessex Water said, at the time of the E. coli spike, there had been "no recent storm overflow operations at or upstream of that location and all our sewerage assets are operating as normal".