Has Anyone Been Put Off Sea Swimming Because Of Pollution?

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

I’ve become more & more concerned about the state of our waters over the last few years & after watching “Dirty Business”, I won’t go in the sea again. This makes me very sad as I love the freedom of being in the ocean but that programme is truly shocking.Huge quantities of raw sewage just dumped. I remember some years ago coming off the beach early as DD had the great pleasure of finding a large human poo in the shallows 💩🤮💩 The cover ups & lies by the water companies are appalling!

I'm fascinated by your use of capitals in your title

Yes, it is appalling. I live on the coast and wouldn’t paddle in the sea. I don’t trust the electronic boards that are supposed to tell you about water quality either.

We have a house on an unpolluted coastal area where the water is crystal clear. There are other areas I where I wouldn't even walk on the beach!

Yes. It should be taken very seriously

I would only swim from a beach that meets the blue flag standards. I wouldn't trust any where the council sets their own standards (like Torbay I believe).

Yes, I would love to but don't swim in local coastal waters as they are not clean. You can see and smell the effluent after rain. I know one person who used to swim regularly here and got all sorts of weird infections and is now seriously unwell.

Sticking to the local pool, where at least I know what they're putting in it.

Yes. We live in a tourist spot and the nearest beach is notorious for being polluted. All the lcoals have a swerage watch whatsapp group and it's always pinging. The bank holiday- loads of tourists swimming. It's dangerous. The last time I swam in the sea my DS1 had a massive skin reaction to something and we ended up in A&E. He has anaphylactic allergies and he suddenly got full body hives. They could not find out what it was, so in the end it decided it was a reaction to pollution.

Depends.

sone places are really bad. Others are fine.

Surfers against sewage have a live pollution map that you can use to see how bad any particular place is:

https://datahq.sas.org.uk/sewage-data-hq/

Me personally, no because I’m put off swimming in the UK due to the cold. I only let the kids play in the sea of beaches with blue flags.

Yes a few years ago we caught ecoli from swimming at a local beach. DS ended up with HUS syndrome and his kidneys started to shut down. He was in hospital for a month and so so ill

At the same time I also had the infection and whilst not as sick as DS couldn't be in the hospital with him as I was at one point admitted to a different hospital and then too sick to be with him for another week.

Luckily my DM stepped in.

At the time there were announcements of pollution in waters that weren't in any tourist areas. We didnt really think anything of it.

Our cases were reported to the relevant agency but the very popular beach remained open. After the summer season ended, 6 weeks later, they closed the beach for swimming due to contamination of the water

Yes. I am shocked to see people still swimming in the sea round here.

Yes, its disgusting and I'm really put off swimming. Do let my kids in, but constant reminders to close mouth.

I think sadly some of the worst incidents of sewage causing illness have been off blue flag beaches

What a small life you must lead then.

YANBU, we live near a sewage dump area and I wouldn’t swim for that reason.

My cousin had ecoli from sea water pollution as a child, I haven't been in the sea in the UK since and rarely abroad either. My local beaches are constantly discharging and are terrible at the moment, would not let my kids in the sea.

Sadly yes, I've been put off. Hoping to make it to the Scillies this summer, I'll swim between the islands where there's good tidal flow.

No but I’m put off a thread of every word is capitalised.

Don't be an arse.

It's an utter disgrace that the the water companies have systematically destroyed our waterways whilst water company bosses were paid huge bonuses and shareholders raked it in.

It's not just the sea it's our rivers and streams as well. Our waterways (and the people and wildlife that rely upon them) are being wantonly filled with shit in the name of profit.

www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2024/jun/25/how-tory-neglect-flooded-britains-rivers-with-sewage
I

Sadly yes. The heads of the water companies responsible should be held personally responsible and prosecuted.

Not a fucking chance I would swim in UK waters. I know that both the coastal area where I grew up and the inland river area where I now live, the water is dirty. I've seen it with my own eyes. The water companies are actually pumping shit out around us.

yes. No chance I’m getting even my ankles wet. It’s such a shame.

the cold not pollution puts me off.
But when it's warm I will go in.

Cleaner seas (and lakes and rivers) in future is also something I hope will happen.

When um, was the last timepoint when uK waterways were not probably polluted by sewage?

Over 30 years ago, my boyfriend got into difficulties ( heat and sunstroke ) just off the shore at Bognor

I went wading in, a sanitry towel floated past my chest and I went sod it - he can drown and out I got

A - he wasnt far out and he could possibly have walked back to the shore

B - he was holding onto a bouy

C - he did indeed get back, no one was hurt

I have not got back into the sea along our coast lines ever since