Ambleside Action for a Future

20/08/2026

Back from our summer break our next meeting focuses on the challenges we are currently facing. Everyone warmly welcomed.

14/07/2026

The lab test for faecal indicator bacteria at Waterhead on Windermere has returned low numbers so the water quality is now a 'PASS' for E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci. However caution still needs to be exercised when entering the water due to the blue-green algal bloom that was spotted there on the 9th July. Toxins from blue-green algae can remain in the water for several weeks after the bloom can no longer be seen by the naked eye. The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) which confirmed the blue-green algal bloom at Waterhead says, 'Blue-green algae can produce potent toxins that can result in a range of health effects in people and animals. Effects on people coming into contact with toxic scums include skin rashes, eye irritations, vomiting and diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints. Blue-green algae have caused the deaths of dogs, horses, cattle, birds and fish across the UK. If you are a pet owner you can find further information from the Blue Cross.
If you, or your pet, have become unwell after contact with water that you think may be contaminated with blue-green algae, we’d strongly recommend that you seek immediate medical or veterinary advice.' ( https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/blue-green-algae-and-its-dangers-to-dogs )
Blue-green algae has been confirmed in a number of places on Windermere, including in the North Basin, and the Environment Agency has told us that warning notices will be appearing around Windermere shortly.
If you spot any blue-green algae, it is important to inform the authorities by taking a photo and reporting it via the 'Bloomin' Algae' app. https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/bloomin-algae

11/07/2026

Although the numbers of E. coli and Intestinal Enteroccocus in the lake at Waterhead, Ambleside, were very low last week, there has been a recent sighting of blue-green algae at Waterhead (confirmed by the CEH). Blue-green algae can be toxic to humans and potentially lethal to dogs so please be observant before you allow your children or your pets to enter the water. See this post from Coniston Mountain Rescue 30/6/26 about the sad death of a dog after exposure to blue-green algae on Coniston - www.facebook.com/share/p/14kKUE1iRG6/
For weekly information about the quality of the water at Waterhead go to aafaf.uk/wet .
You can find the location of the latest confirmed blue-green algal blooms in Cumbria at: engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/blue-green-algae-in-cumbria-and-lancashire/widgets/118571/faqs
If you see suspected blue-green algae, please take a photograph and report it via the Bloomin' Algae app - www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/bloomin-algae

26/06/2026

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In 2021, Stuart Capstick, deputy director at the Centre for Climate...

25/06/2026

25/06/2026

Everyone welcome to visit the Community Garden for our first year celebration!

21/06/2026

This week's result for water quality at Waterhead is still a FAIL. The numbers for the faecal indicator bacteria are much lower, indicating that the water on the 15th June was of higher quality than we've recorded in the past two weeks: E.Coli 29, IE 7, total coliforms 462. However, the point of the US EPA system that we are using is to give some sort of indication to a potential water user of the likelihood of the water being good on the day they are considering entering the lake - the way this is done is to calculate the VARIANCE of the results during the past 5 weeks. For instance, if the faecal indicator bacteria numbers have been consistently low for the last 5 weeks, then it is likely that they will still be low now, and if they've been consistently high, then it's likely that the water continues to be polluted, but if the numbers have been widely varying over the past 5 weeks then a CAUTION or FAIL will be issued despite a recent low reading because it is likely that the numbers will continue to fluctuate, meaning that there is little certainty about what the water quality might be on any single day. In this case,
E.Coli variance is down to a CAUTION but IE variance is slightly up to FAIL, so the result is still a FAIL overall. For more information go to aafaf.uk/wet .

16/06/2026

WET Project result for water quality at Waterhead for Monday 8th June is a FAIL. The lab results take 5-7 days to be returned to us because the samples need to be incubated before the E. coli and Intestinal Enterococcus colonies can be counted. There is currently no accurate 'instant' test for faecal indicator bacteria. When assessing whether you want to enter the lake at Waterhead, please take into consideration that water conditions can change swiftly, so a FAIL does not necessarily mean that the water quality remains poor several days later, and a PASS does not guarantee clean water. They are both merely snapshots of what the water quality was on a single day the previous week. Water conditions can vary widely over the different parts of the lake. Shoreline locations are likely to be more polluted than the deeper water due to animal fouling, human littering, and discharging drains. To see our full data go to aafaf.uk/wet . There have been no raw sewage discharges from the Ambleside treatment works since March, but anytime you want to enter the water, you can check for recent discharges using a live sewage discharge map such as this one: www.sewagemap.co.uk

11/06/2026

On 1st June the Waterhead E coli Testing (WET) Project found high numbers of faecal indicator bacteria - E. coli 649, IE 267, total coliforms 2420 (colony forming units per 100 ml) in Windermere lake water at Waterhead, Ambleside. The remark in response to this from our citizen science lead was, 'In New Zealand that would close the beach!'. We are following the US Environmental Protection Agency's system which takes the last 5 weeks into account, so under this system we could only issue a 'CAUTION'. Water conditions change rapidly, and the 1st June test followed an exceptionally busy half term and bank holiday which may have put pressure on the water quality. We are expecting the results from the test we took this Monday (8th June) to be returned soon and hope to see improved conditions. However, one of our volunteers reported two dead fish, a lot of goose droppings, and unpleasant plastic debris on the beach at Waterhead yesterday, so caution needs to be exercised if you are considering entering the water here. For weekly updates of our results at Waterhead check our webpage: aafaf.uk/wet