Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the incidence of Shigella infections associated with recreational water use at UK beaches; and what assessment he has made on how trends in the North West compare with other regions.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes routine monitoring of notifiable diseases and causative agents which includes Shigella species. There is no evidence of Shigella linked to exposure to seawater in the North West.

The Environment Agency (EA) collects up to 20 samples at all 451 designated bathing waters during the bathing water season (15 May – 30 September). These samples are tested for E.Coli and intestinal enterococci at Bathing Water sites as these organisms are the most reliable indicators of faecal contamination.

Existing practices for monitoring and classification of bathing waters in the UK mirror the European Commission’s Bathing Water Directive which is based on the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for management of recreational waters. Current EA monitoring exceeds the minimum requirements of the Bathing Water Directive at all Bathing Waters.