Staff from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are back in the sea, taking water samples from more than 100 of the country’s beaches.

The summer testing season normally runs from mid-May to the end of September but was delayed this year due to the coronavirus.

It got up and running again on June 22 at 105 beaches.

NRW said sampling will be less frequent than normal but will still be in line with the governing bathing water directive.

“We continue to monitor the ongoing advice from Government in relation to restrictions due to Covid-19 and may need to react to future guidance,” said an NRW spokesperson.

The water samples are brought to a laboratory at Swansea University’s Singleton Campus, where microbiologists test them for bacteria which reveal the presence of human or animal faeces.

Both these can affect human health if swallowed, and can indicate run-off from livestock farms.

Annual ratings classify beaches site as excellent, good, sufficient or poor, based on measurements taken over a four-year period.

Beaches across of Wales have been busy during the recent heatwave but many toilets remain closed.