A council spokesperson said that surprisingly, Pambula River Mouth had returned a poor rating in water tests with Enterococci colony forming units in the range of 201 – 500 per 100ml of water.

“This places the rivermouth at the low end of the unsuitable to swim spectrum, so we would advise swimmers to use open beaches such as Pambula Beach or Lions Park until further tests are made.

“The reason for the poor result is at present unexplained. There have been no reported sewer spills and this is the first time the river mouth has returned a poor result,” the spokesperson said