Wait three days after rainfall to swim in new river bathing spot, swimmers warned

8 comments

1. Swimmers have been warned to wait three days after rainfall before taking a dip in one of England’s new designated bathing spots, due to high levels of *E.coli* in the water.

   Fordingbridge, a town that straddles the River Avon on the western edge of the New Forest, is one of [27 new official sites for bathing in England this summer](https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/hope-for-uk-wild-swimmers-as-record-number-of-bathing-sites-given-the-go-ahead-3052391?ico=in-line_link).

   The site became an official bathing spot in May, but government testing has twice shown *E.coli* levels to be more than three times above what is considered a safe level.

   *E. coli* can make its way into rivers through sewage pollution or animal waste from farming, and digesting the bacteria can cause stomach bugs and diarrhoea.

   The Environment Agency (EA) has a duty to test the water at official bathing sites throughout the summer months. Each area is ranked as being either excellent, or good, or sufficient or poor, based on the levels of bacteria such as *E.coli* in the water.

   Of the four tests carried out by the EA at Fordingbridge since the start of the bathing season in May, two showed *E.coli* levels more than three times higher than the level required for the river to be considered “sufficient”, meaning the site would be rated “poor”. One other test showed *E.coli* levels were within the “good” threshold, while another one was “excellent”.

   Fordingbridge will be given an overall rating at the end of the bathing season based on the testing results throughout the summer months.

   Adam Ellis, a water-quality specialist who helped with the application for the Fordingbridge bathing spot, said the bad results “were after rainfall, which our previous sampling has often shown results in elevated levels of faecal indicator organisms and poor bathing water quality”.

   He recommended people “worried about accessing the river” wait 72 hours after rainfall before swimming.

   Water quality in rivers is often poor after it rains, as this is when water companies are most likely to release sewage. Under the terms of specific permits, the firms are allowed to release untreated waste from points in their system known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) when their pipe systems become overwhelmed with rainwater.

   [Alison Ayling, a wild s](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9244855/Theres-SNOW-stopping-Experts-reveal-cooped-makes-determined-exercise.html)[wimmer](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9244855/Theres-SNOW-stopping-Experts-reveal-cooped-makes-determined-exercise.html) who is part of the community group that applied for bathing water status for Fordingbridge, told **i** she has never gotten sick while swimming in the rivers, but knows others who have.

   She takes precautions while swimming, including “not dipping my face or head in the water, or swimming if I have an open wound on my body”.

   “If I knew the water was safe, I would not need to take any precautions. It is a concern to know that there are high levels of *E. coli* and other bacteria which are rising,” she said.

   The River Avon is one of England’s rare chalk streams, and Fordingbridge sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

   But the river is also the [second most polluted in England](https://top-of-the-poops.org/rivers) in terms of sewage spills, with untreated waste being released into the water from various points for a total of 32,577 hours in 2023, official statistics show.

   “It is protected, but that protection doesn’t seem to extend to the condition of the river water,” Ms Ayling said.

   “As users of a very special river, we should do what we can to try and get protection.”

   Ms Ayling, who began swimming in the river shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, said the bathing site application process, which involves regularly testing the water, was eye-opening for the community.

2. Probably just don’t swim in it at all if you like being alive.

3. Wait until three days after rainfall?

   So basically wait until the one week in Summer where it hasn’t rained, then maybe think about it?

4. How about the government tell them not to dump sewage in the fucking rivers 😂

5. People swim in the canal near me even though the narrowboaters openly shit and piss into it. I asked a woman why and she says ‘it’s fine if you keep your head above water’

6. Genuinely can’t pay me to swim in a UK river now. We have a popular swimming spot that is like this one during warm weather. However 3 months ago the EPA were pulling out thousands of dead fish – they still haven’t said what the cause was. I’m not going in there…

7. 3 days after rain?? ….This is Britain, aren’t you just telling people to NEVER swim there.

8. Please ensure you purchase your ‘wild’ swimming license before you enter the water, or a further penalty charge will be issued.

   Yours sincerely.
   The English taxman.