Realtime pollution alerts needed on Windermere, campaigners say after boy nearly dies

Campaigners are calling for real-time pollution alerts on Windermere after a seven-year-old boy, Rex Earley, nearly died from an E. coli infection contracted while kayaking on the lake in August. Rex spent six weeks in the hospital and underwent two emergency operations. His case is similar to a previous case of a girl who died in 1999 after swimming in Devon. The family had checked the Environment Agency website, which indicated excellent water quality, but independent testing weeks earlier revealed E. coli levels exceeding safe bathing water standards. Save Windermere argues that the current bathing water status is inadequate, as testing is limited to specific areas and a period between May and September, while the lake attracts seven million visitors annually. They advocate for an end to sewage discharges into the lake to prevent further illnesses.