E.coli found at swimming spots with 'good or excellent' water quality

File photo of E. Coli. Ireland consistently has the highest rates of STEC infection in people in the EU. Photo: iStock

A dangerous form of E.coli has been detected in a number of Irish swimming spots that are deemed to have good or excellent water by EU standards, prompting calls from scientists to re-evaluate the quality process.

Researchers from NUI Galway probed 111 samples from 50 locations in Cork, Dublin, and Galway between 2016 and 2019.