More than half of all small private wells in Co Cork were not tested for potentially harmful bacteria in 2016.

The water supply to some schools, nursing homes, and hotels are not monitored in any way for E.coli, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency which found the water quality from such sources is “consistently poorer than public water supplies”.

Sea swimmers, surfers and water skiers may be at risk of picking up antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a British study suggests.