People have fallen ill over 6,000 times after swimming at official bathing spots across the UK over the past five years, according to data collected by the charity Surfers Against Sewage.
On Friday, the Government confirmed the location of 13 new outdoor swim spots to mark the beginning of the official bathing season, which runs from May to September.
However, campaigners warn that hundreds of bathing spots are heavily polluted due to sewage discharges, making them unsafe for swimming.
Swimmers, surfers and other water users can report when they get sick with illnesses including stomach bugs and eye infections after spending time in open water.
The charity logs the location of these reports to demonstrate the extent to which sewage and other forms of pollution are impacting public health.
Since 2019 there have been 6,709 individual sickness reports logged at 514 bathing spots from the Highlands to Cornwall. A total of 1,263 number of people reported getting sick last year.
Exmouth Beach had the highest number of sickness reports (179), followed Polzeath in Cornwall (103) and Westward Ho in Devon (96).
Surfers Against Sewage explained that the data is likely skewed towards the South West of England as that’s where most of their users are based.
Protestors gather on the beach before entering the water for the SAS Paddle Out at Gyllyngvase Beach (Photo: Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images)Gastroenteritis was the most common type of sickness reported, followed by ear, nose and throat infections, and viral infections.
The charity is unable to verify the cause of these sicknesses, but they align with symptoms people experience after swimming in water polluted with human or animal faeces.
Many of the UK’s bathing spots are heavily polluted due to sewage discharges or run-off from farms.
Over the past few years, there has been a concerted effort by campaign groups across the country to gain bathing water status for local stretches of water as part of efforts to clean up Britain’s waterways.
Gaining bathing status for a stretch of river unlocks greater investment from water companies and means that the Environment Agency must regularly test the water quality at the site.
The i Paper has been calling on the Government to introduce 100 bathing spots in rivers by 2030 as part of its Save Britain’s Rivers campaign.
There are now 20 swim spots on rivers following the introduction of six new sites on Friday, including one of the River Thames in London.
Surfers Against Sewage lead their nationwide Paddle-Out protests with over 50 simultaneous actions targeting the government’s Clean Water Bill and demanding an end to sewage pollution (Photo: Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images)However, 12 out of the 14 existing river sites have a rating of ‘poor’, which means members of the public are warned against swimming there.
This rating is based on testing for E. coli and intestinal enterococci during the previous year’s bathing season.
“Designation is a powerful tool in holding polluters to account, but earning it is only the first step,” said Kirsty Davies, community water quality manager at Surfers Against Sewage.
“These communities have campaigned hard, and now we are watching closely to ensure regulators and polluters fulfil their responsibilities and clean up these well-loved, well-used waters.”
On Saturday, thousands of water users took part in Paddle-Out protests at over 40 locations across the UK to call for reform of the water industry in England and Wales, as well as clearer monitoring of sewage spills in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We have announced 13 new bathing sites open across the country, taking the total to over 460 bathing waters. They will be rigorously and regularly tested by the Environment Agency throughout bathing season meaning swimmers are better informed about water quality, and can swim with greater confidence.”
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