Water campaigner cautious on using new bathing site

A campaigner for clean waterways has said there is a risk of pollution, despite part of the River Thames being granted bathing status by the government.

Last week the stream at Pangbourne Meadow has become one of 13 new designated swimming spots in the UK.

However, James Wallace from River Action said the safety levels depends on factors including how polluted the River Pang has been, which feeds in further upstream.

Thames Water said it would "continue to work closely with the Environment Agency to understand our impact at the locations and where upgrades to our assets may be needed."

Wallace advised swimmers to remain cautious when swimming in Pangbourne Meadow.

"The River Pang suffers from very high levels of pollution and if there's been a discharge (there) in the last few days that might affect people's health," he said.

"You have to be careful and check there hasn't been any sewage discharge on the day or soon before and you should be fine but there will always be a baseline level of pollution.

"My advice would be to keep your head out of the water and don't go in it if you have any open wounds," he added.

The newly awarded status means The Environment Agency (EA) must test the water between May-September and make results public.

Any poor results would trigger investigations to identify and fix the pollution source.

In 2022 a stretch of the River Thames at Port Meadow, Oxford, was awarded bathing water status, as was Wallingford in 2024.

Bathing waters - by local authority area in England - are listed, external by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).