A public health warning was issued by Stop Ure Pollution (SUP) just before Easter 2026 due to consistently high levels of pollution being found at Aysgarth Falls and Ulshaw Bridge.
SUP’s chairman, Prof Richard Loukota said: ‘SUP reiterates its warning that people should be generally very careful around the Falls and should remember to use personal hygiene methods such as hand washing after visiting the area.’
Dog owners should also be careful as there have been instances of dogs becoming ill after being in the river water.
Since July 2025 he and SUP committee member Mike Grace have been regularly testing the river water at Aysgarth Falls and Ulshaw Bridge, mainly with Bactiquick, funded by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).
Bactiquick detects a wide range of bacterial endotoxins including E.coli, Salmonella, Legionella and Vibrio and gives results in 15 minutes. It was used during the 2024 Olympic Games to ensure the safety of swimmers
Only once has a low level of risk been registered at Aysgarth Falls and that was on February 9 this year after very heavy rainfall.
Mr Loukota reported: ‘At Aysgarth Falls there was a slight improvement in Endotoxin Risk to amber/medium (43 and 54) at the start of March this year but I’m afraid the Bactiquick has shown an increase back to red/high risk (77 and 69) over for the last two weeks.
Petrifilm has also shown an increase in E.coli levels to 900 and 700 CFU (from100 and 200 CFU) over the same period.’
The Petrifilm was also funded by SAS. With its sample-ready, streamlined standardized and simplified process of microbial quantitative indicator testing, is used extensively for the enumeration of E.coli and coliforms in the food and beverage industries.
SUP has bought other equipment thanks to an award of £19,992 from The National Lottery Community Fund. About 75 per cent of that will be spent on reagents for testing with equipment such as Bactiquick and Petrifilm. SUP seeks to identify pollution from two major sources: sewerage overflows and agricultural slurry.
The Lottery award enabled it to purchase a DJI Flip Drone, car stickers and warning signs. The latter will soon be in place to warn people bathing at such popular sites as Aysgarth Falls that the river water is polluted.
Stop Ure Pollution and Yorkshire Dales River Trust are planning to carry out another full river survey in August and October this year. Most of the testing will be carried out by SUP’s 67 volunteers
SUP is very grateful to all who have donated funds and so enabled it to carry on testing the river water. See Test Results for more information.