People told not to enter Thames over ‘alarmingly high levels’ of E. coli

Rowers taking part in the 2024 Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge in London have been urged not to enter the River Thames over ‘alarmingly high levels’ of a bacteria found in poo.

River Action recorded high levels of E.coli – which can cause pneumonia, sepsis or even meningitis – during regular testing in February.

The 16 tests all around Hammersmith Bridge indicated an average of 2,869 E.coli colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water, with the highest level it recorded at 9,801 CFU per 100ml.

This means it was nearly 10 times higher than levels found in bathing waters that were graded as ‘poor’.

The source of pollution is from Thames Water – the largest household supplier in the country – discharging sewage directly into the Thames and its tributaries.

The results are released as teams from both Oxford and Cambridge universities will take to the 4.25-mile Championship Course on Saturday afternoon.

World champion Imogen Grant, who was also a triple Boat Race winner with Cambridge, said: ‘As a rower, the water I row on is my field of play, and the results of the E.coli testing show that rowers are putting their health at risk to do the sport they love.

‘Thousands of people rely on our rivers for work and recreation and they are being choked with sewage and pollution.

‘More needs to be done to improve our water quality across the country, and testing like this gives us a picture of just how far we have to go.’

River Action, British Rowing and The Rivers Trust have now issued new guidance to rowing clubs across the UK on safety in polluted waters.

Rowers are being told to conceal any cuts, grazes and blisters with waterproof dressings, taking care not to swallow river water that splashes close to the mouth, wearing suitable footwear when launching or recovering a boat, and cleaning all equipment thoroughly.

River Action chief executive James Wallace said: ‘We are in a tragic situation when elite athletes are issued with health guidance ahead of a historic race on the capital’s river.

‘Our water quality results show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water.’

The organisation said rowers, communities and conservationists are uniting to ask the government to enforce the law and prosecute polluters.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: ‘Taking action to improve the health of rivers is a key focus for us and we want to lead the way with our transparent approach to data.

‘We have experienced higher than average long-term rainfall across London and the Thames Valley, with groundwater levels exceptionally high for the time of the year.

‘We are working hard to make these discharges unnecessary and have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sites, including a £100 million upgrade of our Mogden sewage treatment works in south-west London to treat the high volumes of incoming sewage and reduce the need for overflows during wet weather.’

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