A warning has been issued after reports that children who swam in the River Avon suffered sickness and diarrhoea, with some ending up in hospital.
Oasis Academy Brislington has written to parents to say that a number of its students had recently fallen ill after swimming in the river, specifically near the area by Beeses café.
The letter says: “Several of these students have reported symptoms consistent with gastrointestinal illness and unfortunately a small number have required hospital care as a precautionary measure.”
The school says it has contacted the relevant local agencies regarding the illnesses, and in the meantime as a precaution strongly advises that students avoid swimming or entering the water in this area.
“We understand that with the recent warm weather, outdoor swimming is appealing to many young people. However, rivers can carry a number of health risks, including waterborne bacteria or contaminants, which are not always visible or predictable.”
The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for managing watercourses. We contacted them and although they did not give specific information, they said there was useful advice on wild swimming on the government’s Swim healthy blog, while the Swimfo website has information about designated bathing waters which the EA monitors through regular sampling.
The map shows that the only site in our area where swimmers are advised not to bathe is in the River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford. The latest classification for it is Poor.
Meanwhile, the government has this week announced the biggest overhaul of the water sector since privatisation.
The Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat, will be abolished and its functions merged with water functions across the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to form a new single, powerful regulator to cut water pollution in England’s rivers, lakes and seas, and protect families from massive bill hikes.
