Yorkshire Water is conducting environmentally friendly dye-tests off the coast of Runswick Bay today in a bid to build a greater understanding of how its sewer outfalls can impact on the quality of local bathing waters.

Caroline Spelman, Environment Secretary at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that over 95 per cent of England’s finest wildlife and geological sites, covering more than one million hectares of countryside, are now in favourable or recovering condition.

The results from the annual monitoring programme of local bathing water quality have shown that the quality of bathing water in Northern Ireland has improved, with 16 out of 24 areas meeting guideline standards.

A new £3.7million initiative to maximise the potential of the coastline on both sides of the Irish Sea has been launched.

Despite torrential rain at times, 95% of Scottish bathing waters finished the 2010 summer season having achieved at least mandatory bathing water quality or better, and overall only 1.4% of tested samples were below European standards.

Water engineers are getting ready to start a major investment programme to improve the environment and reduce the risk of sewer flooding in Keswick.