Swimming race cancelled after sewage discharged into Thames for 10 hours

An open water swimming race first held in the Victorian era was cancelled because sewage was discharged into the River Thames for more than ten hours.

The annual Boulter’s to Bray Swim, which began in 1890, was set to be held in Maidenhead, Berkshire on July 6 but organisers have decided not to proceed over fears it will not be clear when the river becomes safe again.

Keith Dixon, trustee of The Boulter’s to Bray Swim Trust, told The Times the river is less safe now than it has previously been and worried competitors had voiced fears over taking part.

He told the newspaper: “As recently as last Sunday night, there was ten hours of discharge into the area, within a couple of miles of us.

“We’ve had a lot of competitors asking us if it’s safe, and the answer is: ‘It’s less safe now than it has ever been because of the amount of sewage coming down.

“I can’t look myself in the mirror and say that I would be willing to do it. I really can’t sanction 250 people going in who want to have a safe and fun event.”

The organisers of the Boulter’s to Bray race told participants: “There has been an increasing amount of concern locally and in the media about the cleanliness of our rivers and the safety of river users.

“The safety of our swimmers has always been of paramount importance to us, and we are proud of our safety record.

“We continually review and update our risk register to satisfy ourselves that we are monitoring the inherent risks of open-water swimming.”

The update continued: “Unfortunately, this year we are unable to find any satisfactory way that we can do this, so we have made the tough decision to cancel the 2024 Swim.”

It comes after the University of Oxford’s team in the annual boat race against Cambridge in March claimed high levels of e-coli in the water were partly to blame for the squad’s defeat.

A Thames Water spokesman said: “We appreciate how much waterways are loved and enjoyed by everyone, and we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment. Sewage discharges are unacceptable to us and our customers, and we’re working hard to stop them, in the face of the wettest weather in a decade.

“In reality, farming, industry, livestock and more extreme weather also play a role in river health, which is why we recommend reading the Government’s advice on open water swimming.

“We were the first company to publish an online map providing close to real-time information about storm discharges from all our permitted locations, putting transparency at the heart of what we do.”