Beachgoers have been warmed not to swim in the sea at a major UK resort this weekend - some 10 days after a sewage leak resulted in human waste being deposited in the sea.
Tests carried out by the Environment Agency found sickness and diarrhoea-inducing E.Coli in the water at Blackpool - one of the country's most popular seaside towns - resulting in it being declared strictly off limits.
It comes as a serious blow to holidaymakers along the seven-mile seafront, amid a forecast of 24C heat on Saturday and Sunday.
United Utilities, which runs the site, blamed the incident on heavy rain on June 13, which saw 40mm fall during a two-hour period as engineers repaired a burst pipe.
The company's director of water waste treatment, Mark Garth explained that the pipe discharged into the sea as a result of "really intense storms" after two days of manageable dry-weather flows.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday, however, he insisted a clean-up operation at the site was almost complete.
"The number of people, number of experts and equipment involved are something that's never been seen before," he explained. "We're very close. We're about 95% complete."
Mr Garth added that a 1.2 mile (2km) bypass pipe had recently been constructed, whilst engineers would be carrying out further work over the next 48 hours to "push the plant back to capacity".
Around 100 tankers a day have been busy removing sewage from sites in the area, meanwhile.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "While bathing is currently advised against, the beaches along the Fylde Coast remain open.
"We are continuing to regularly monitor water quality along the coast to help inform decisions about when the current advice against swimming can be removed.
"Polluting our seas and rivers is unacceptable and we are carrying out a detailed investigation into this incident along the Fylde Coast."
Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams, who also appeared on Radio 4, described the issue as "incredibly disappointing and really worrying".
"We're just at the start of our summer season with some glorious weather and we’re faced with having to put out advisory notices telling people not to go into the sea because of the discharges of sewage," she bemoaned. "It's appalling."
