MASSIVE levels of potentially killer E.coli have led to a "don't punt here" warning signs on the river near Cambridge University. The harmful bacteria on the River Cam at Sheep's Green - where students pole their punts - is six times above the approved level.
It was declared an official safe spot for swimmers and boat users, weeks before. Some punt crews have claimed to become violently ill after coming into contact with the river water. To the embarrassment of the authorities, it was named as one of the government's new safe bathing water sites on 13 May.
The Environment Agency revealed today that the E. coli in the river is around six times higher than what is considered acceptable. Terry Macalister, from the Friends of the Cam group, said "We were opposed to the whole idea that this should be called a designated bathing area because we feared that could only encourage people to swim here.
"Now we know absolutely for certain that there's a health danger from actually swimming here. "I used to swim here every day, it was one of my great pleasures in the summer. "But a number of groups have been taking tests and clearly began to show that the river was heavily polluted, so I've stopped swimming here.
" Punting, a tradition going back centuries, plays a vital role in Cambridge's tourism industry and operators fear water pollution will put off visitors. Their staff are encouraged to use sanitisers and customers are urged not to put their hands into the water. Campaigners blame t.