Fancy a swim this summer? If you're in Canterbury, chances are your favourite beach is safe, a new report shows.

More than 80 per cent of Canterbury's beaches have been graded safe to swim at,says the Ministry for the Environment's Recreational Water Quality in New Zealand report.

The report is based on data from 210 freshwater beaches and 248 coastal beaches acquired over five consecutive summers, including the 2011-12 summer.

Of the beaches monitored in Canterbury, 89 recorded usable data.

Of those, 13.5 per cent were safe for swimming all the time and 41.5 per cent were considered satisfactory for swimming most of the time.

A further 28 per cent were ''generally satisfactory'', but there was a risk of illness for those who swam there as they were potential sources of faecal matter.

The worst swimming spots in Canterbury are the Avon, Heathcote,Kaiapoi and Selwyn rivers, Lyell Creek Lagoon,the Waihao River at Black Hole and the Waihi River at thegorge.

The top spots included Waikuku Beach, Taylors Mistake, Gore Bay and Lake Hood.

Nationally, about 80 per cent of coastal beaches were considered safe to swim in, while about 55 per cent of freshwater beaches fell into the same category.

The reportsaid mosteffects of swimming in contaminated water, such as gastric-intestinal illnesses with symptoms like diarrhoea or vomiting, and infections of the eye, ear, nose and throat, were short-lived.

Read the original post:

Canterbury's beaches safe to swim at - report