Weymouth sea swimmers hit back at advice to keep their mouths closed
A representative from Wessex Water told Dorset councillors keeping your mouth closed while in the sea is the only way to avoid getting ill from bacteria
'Keep your mouth closed in the sea.' A Weymouth sea swimmer says Wessex Water's advice to swimmers is totally 'impractical'.
The water company faced scrutiny from BCP councillors after a rise in pollution incidents across the county. They were concerned about water quality and a lack of year-round testing.
During that meeting Wessex Water's Environmental Solutions Director Ruth Barden said:
“The only way you will not get ill from consuming water is if you consume tap water; if you go swimming with your mouth open it is not free from bacteria, so that is something to be aware of."
Helene Frankham swims in Weymouth Bay all year round as part of an all-weather swimming group called the Weymouth Bay Bluetits.
She said:
"It's not the most practical solution in the world to suggest that you keep your mouth closed when you're using the bathing waters of Weymouth Bay.
"I would have thought it's a better idea to sort out the problem in the first place, rather than suggest pretty impractical advice for all those people who use it.
"It's a really popular place to be now, and it's not just in the summer, it's all year round. I think water companies should be really thinking long and hard about what they can do to improve water quality, not tell people they should keep their mouth shut while they go swimming."
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “The advice from both Public Health England and wild swimming groups is to avoid ingesting river, lake or sea water while swimming as there will always be bacteria in the sea – from wildlife faeces and run-off from agricultural land, as well as regulated storm overflows and treated sewage discharges.
“Ruth Barden was reiterating that advice and emphasising that the only water guaranteed to be free from bacteria is tap water. While bathing waters in the BCP area are classified as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, this doesn’t mean they are without risk”
Ruth’s presentation explained that storm overflows operate under permits from the Environment Agency, which are designed so discharges don’t impact on water quality. Wessex Water’s online Coast and Rivers Watch system notifies when they operate, enabling recreational users to decide whether or not to choose to swim at that time.
The spokesperson added: “In an ideal world we wouldn’t have overflows, but separating out surface water will require enormous investment and disruption.
“We are monitoring and reporting all overflow operations; identifying the ones that will potentially cause environmental or public health harm, addressing those and then progressively working through the others.”