Popular UK wild swimming spot leaves group ill. Expert advice on how to pick a safe spot

A dozen people fell seriously unwell after swimming in an English river this month, Euronews Green can reveal, in an incident that highlights the dangerous state of some of England and Wales’ most popular waterways.

George Ames, 41, visited the River Medway in Kent with his family and a group of friends on 17 July, a sunny Sunday just before the peak of the UK heatwave. Despite there being no warning signs on the bank, 12 of the 13 swimmers became badly sick, with one woman hospitalised for two days.

There are currently only two designated river bathing sites in the UK, despite more and more people discovering the joys of outdoor, or wild, swimming. Aside from part of the River Wharfe in West Yorkshire, and Port Meadow in Oxford, the Environment Agency has no obligation to monitor the water quality for threats to human health, or caution water-users.

However George had no reason to think the popular swimming spot he visited was dangerous.

He first visited with his family last summer. They sought out the stretch of the Medway - just past Tonbridge town, in south England - as they were anxious to avoid crowded beaches during the COVID pandemic. Arriving from south London, “It felt like a really wonderful discovery,” he recalls.

Two weeks ago, there were again “umpteen paddleboarders”, kayakers and groups of teenagers jumping into the river between Eldridge and Porters Locks. “It felt like a real treat to be in that place and to be able to enjoy our surroundings in the countryside, and have a calm, beautiful swimming spot and the children were all absolutely delighted.”

“Now it just feels like that's been totally ruined,” he says. “From somewhere which felt like a really amazing treat and a brilliant option when the weather's