Paris's River Seine is declared unfit for swimming just a month before it's due to host Olympics events and opening ceremony, with locals threatening a 'mass defecation' protest

The river has been declared unfit for swimming a month before the OlympicsAround £1.2billion has been spent on preparing the bacteria-ridden River SeineProtestors have threatened to defecate in the river after the ineffectual spending

The River Seine has been declared unsuitable to host swimmers just one month before the Paris Olympics - despite a £1.2billion project to make it safe.

Results on Friday showed that the river feted for its romantic views is still failing water quality tests.

It is scheduled to host part of the opening ceremony, the open-water swimming competition, and as the swimming leg of the triathlon.

Parisians had threatened to defecate in the river in protest against the French government on June 23 but it is unclear if any such delinquencies were performed. They are angry so much money has been spent on cleaning it, seemingly to little effect.

President Emmanuel Macron and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo vowed that they would swim in the river to prove its safeness.

The River Seine has been declared unsuitable to swim in just a month before the Paris Olympics

French president Emmanuel Macron and Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo have vowed to swim in the river to 'prove' its safety

And in a bid to deter would-be river-soilers, the city of Paris placed toilets along the banks of the Seine hoping people may opt for a more civilised form of relief.

Outrage around the water quality of the Seine has been bubbling for a considerable length of time.

In April a French water charity found 'alarming levels of pollution', sparking fears that the river would not be ready in time.

The Surfrider Foundation took 14 samples from the Seine over a six-month period and found the water to be potentially dangerous in all but one of their tests.

The measurements of E. coli and enterococci - bacteria which indicate the presence of faecal matter and which can cause serious illnesses - were found to be double and at times triple the maximum permitted amounts.

Sharing an open letter with its stakeholders, the charity stressed that they had 'rising concerns about the quality of the Seine' as well as 'the risks faced by athletes moving in contaminated water'.

Additionally, last year, a swimming test event for the Olympics was scrapped after the water quality was found to be 'below acceptable standards'.

The city's sewage system can become overwhelmed by heavy rainfall, which can lead to untreated effluent flowing into the river - and those keen to push back against Surfrider's findings have stressed that the samples were taken amid one of the wettest winters in 30 years.

A French water charity has found 'alarming' levels of bacteria in all but one of 14 samples taken from the Seine in the six months before April

After suffering one of the wettest winters in 30 years, there are concerns over the impact of the city's sewage infrastructure

Paris is due to welcome the Olympic Games from July 26 but swimmers wish there was a 'plan B' to swimming in the Seine

Open-water swimmer Leah Crisp revealed that Olympians are concerned about the water

Last August saw two test events staged in the river - but a slew of others cancelled after tests

Surfrider found up to triple the permitted amount of concerning bacteria present in some samples (testing in August 2023 pictured)

Parisian state official Marc Guillaume said that Surfrider had 'very poor knowledge of this issue' and added: 'There's no point doing tests today in the Seine and comparing them with what will happen next summer'.

'There has never been a question of opening the Seine for swimming all year round,' Guillaume continued.

Open-water swimmer Leah Crisp revealed last week that she and her competitors were concerned about the race taking place in the River Seine, hoping there is a 'plan B'.

'Water quality remains degraded due to an unfavorable hydrological context: rain, high flow, low sunshine, temperatures below seasonal standards and pollution from upstream,' the local authorities have said.

French authorities have been working hard to ensure that making the Seine swimmable is one of the lasting legacies of this summer's Olympic Games, with swimming in the river having been banned since 1923.