The mushrooms doing a champignon job fighting poo pollution

Mushrooms could be used to filter out harmful waste and sewage in rivers, after a trial showed a certain fungi can destroy a type of bacteria that is a risk to human health.

The fungi, called turkey tail mushroom, was used in part of a river in Devon and managed to filter out 80% of E. coli bacteria during the trial.

E. coli is a type of bacteria which can be harmless and shows up in the intestines of healthy people. But certain types of E. coli can really harmful - causing vomiting, fever and severe health problems.

During the trial, bags of turkey tail mushrooms were stacked across a riverbed, filtering water through their roots, which are called mycelia.

The mycelia acted like a sponge, catching the E. coli bacteria to prevent it going into the river.

Water industry regulator Ofwat has given Anglian Water £1.5 million to use fungi to clean up rivers because the trial worked so well.

In another trial in Lincolnshire, a similar barricade caught 83% of phosphorus and 35% of nitrogen from rainwater running off farmers' fields.

Farmers spread these chemicals as fertilisers, but when they wash into watercourses they can cause thick algae to form, starving fish of oxygen.

Its hoped the mushroom barriers could be placed near sewage overflow pipes to remove pollutants released during storms.

Joshua Mercer, at Anglian Water said the fungi would act as a "second line of defence" to normal sewage treatment.

"If [this work] can have a positive impact on water quality, then it's benefiting everyone," Joshua said.

"When my daughter gets to my age, it would be great if people can just go and swim wherever they want."

If you thought mushrooms were only good for a fry up, and now filtering water - think again!

Mushrooms can be used as a packaging material.

Mycelium has been used by big furniture and tech companies for packaging, because it's robust but also relatively environmentally friendly and breaks down naturally within weeks of use.

And fashion designer Stella McCartney came up with a really fun-gi idea a few years ago.

She created the first ever clothing made of mushroom leather, using the mycelium.

Mushroom leather, unlike other fake leathers, is entirely natural and biodegradable.

Engineering companies have also made building blocks for construction out of compacted mushroom spores and sawdust.

So it looks like mushrooms really are the champignons of veg when it comes to being multi-purpose!