newsThree quarters of UK swimmers will boycott filthy beaches and seas this summer
Storm clouds over England: The small town of Whitstable in East Kent is famous for its oysters, its beaches and its nearness to London. A question mark hangs over its future following reports that seasoned swimmers are frightened of entering contaminated water. (Picture of a beach at Whitstable by Jane Grundy)
By Trevor Grundy
Surveys about the state of British beaches and sea-waters show that three quarters of UK adults will avoid swimming in the sea this summer.
However hot it gets, they say they wlll not risk the health -even the lives – of themselves and/or their children by as much as dipping their toes into filthy water which is sometimes contaminated not only by used condoms, sanitary towels, nappies but also by human excrement.
A report in the ‘Daily Mail’ (April 25, 2024) said: “Statistics show that sewage spills by water companies doubled last year. A YouGov poll for the Central Office of Public Interest (COPI) reveals that 73 percent of respondents answered that they will be ‘not very likely’ or ‘not at all likely’ to enter British waters in what experts predict could be hottest summer yet.”
How this will impact on local businesses which depend on summer tourists to survive remains to be seen.
Some water sports companies are regularly reporting days, or even entire weekends of forced cancellations because of unsafe waters.
The paper quoted Humphrey Milles, founder of COPI as saying : “It’s a tragedy that something the whole country should be able to enjoy has become increasingly toxic because of failures of Government who are letting the water companies get away with it.”