Boulter’s to Bray Swim 2024: Annual swimming race dating back to 1890 cancelled after sewage discharged into River Thames for over 10 hours

An open water swimming race has been cancelled due to sewage being discharged into the River Thames for more than ten hours. Charles Watson, chair and founder of River Action says it is the “shocking reality” that it is “simply not safe to swim in rivers like the Thames due to the huge levels of recent raw sewage discharges” and the charity has been “approached now by dozens of river users who have become seriously ill after coming into contact with the river.”

The annual Boulter’s to Bray Swim began in 1890 and was set to be held in Maidenhead, Berkshire on July 6. However, organisers have had to cancel 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. 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. 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.”

Mr Watson, of River Action, said that River Action, and other citizen scientists, have carried out regular E.coli testing in recent weeks and it “shows the pathogen levels at a multiple of what would be considered safe for bathing.” He added: “It is also scandalous that there has been no public health advice on this issue from any government body – and it’s up to charitable organisations like River Action to test the river and keep the public safe”.

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.”