It’s high time for Ireland to finally clean up its act

With E.coli posing a threat on our beaches and in our water supply, we must take action, writes Tony Lowes

BEACHES closed in Cork and Clare! Boil notices for water supplies in many counties. And all because of something called ‘E.coli’. What is it? Where is it? How does it pose a threat to health? And why are we hearing more and more about it?

Over a hundred million years ago the bacteria Escherichia and Salmonella diverged. Escherichia belongs in a group of bacteria generally known as “coliforms”.