Only 14 per cent of people are likely to swim in Britain’s seas and rivers this summer because of raw sewage, a new survey reveals.

“It’s a tragedy that something the whole country should be able to enjoy has become increasingly toxic because of ongoing failures of government who are simply letting the water companies get away with it,”

Adam Vaughan Environment Editor

Figures released last month showed that sewage spills in England doubled to 3.6 million hours last year.

In response to the question “in light of the recent news headlines regarding sewage pollution … how likely, if at all, would you be to consider swimming in UK seas and rivers this summer?”, 73 per cent of people said it was unlikely. You-Gov polled 2,000 adults in Britain.

“It’s a tragedy that something the whole country should be able to enjoy has become increasingly toxic because of ongoing failures of government who are simply letting the water companies get away with it,” said Humphrey Mil-les, founder of the Central Office of Public Interest, a non-profit group of creatives which commissioned the poll.

Maggie Alderson, a novelist and journalist who lives in Hastings in Kent, took up sea swimming during the Covid lockdowns until she got an ear infection in the summer of 2022. Her infection progressed to the point where her ear drum was punctured and she lost hearing in that ear.

“It’s no exaggeration to say it’s affected every aspect of my life,” she said. She attributes the infection to swimming in sea water contaminated with faeces. “I feel like one of the great joys of my life . has been spoilt for me forever,” she said.

The YouGov polling found that 31 per cent of people had swum in UK rivers or seas for leisure since April 2021, with another 16 per cent saying their children or partner had done so.

Water companies are expected to release real-time sewage discharge maps online within weeks. Most of the 424 designated bathing waters in England are beaches. with 27 stretches of rivers proposed as additions recently. Officials-must test these sites for harmful bacteria between May and September. But testing is no guarantee that waters are safe to swim in at any given time.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “We share the public’s concern about our rivers and the results of this You-Gov survey are another example of why water companies must go further and faster.

“If water companies are found to breach their permits, action will be taken — up to and including criminal prosecution.”