Celebrations for the winning teams in this year’s Boat Race have been warned not to throw their cox in the Thames, as per tradition, due to the threat of E. coli in the water.
Men’s and women’s crews from Oxford and Cambridge universities will take part in the iconic Boat Race along a stretch of London’s river in the west of the capital.
But teams have been warned about high levels of E. coli, a bacteria found in faeces with the ability to infect, and have been told to cover blisters and avoid contact with the water.
This year’s Boat Race will be the 169th men’s edition and 78th women’s edition.
Boat Race water quality
Pressure group River Action’s chief executive James Wallace said: “It is a tragic situation when elite athletes are issued with health guidance ahead of a historic race on the capital’s river.
“Our water quality results show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water.”
Bacteria was discovered between the end of February and the start of this week with 16 tests producing an average result of 2,869 E. coli colony-forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water, way above 1,000 CFU per 100ml limit for bathing conditions.
Organisers said: “The Tideway especially is a unique stretch of water that tests the technical skill and resilience of the rowers like few others can.
“Water quality is an ongoing concern for the Boat Race and we carry out numerous briefings with the universities and athletes to ensure they are as safe as possible when rowing on the Tideway.
“We regularly consult with our extensive network of rowing clubs on health and safety guidelines and we have put in place a series of precautionary measures this year to protect the health of our athletes.”
In a statement, Thames Water said: “We have experienced higher than average long-term rainfall across London and the Thames Valley with groundwater levels exceptionally high for the time of the year.
“The overflows are designed to operate automatically when the sewer network is about to be overwhelmed, which then releases diluted wastewater into rivers, rather than letting it back up into people’s homes.
“We are working hard to make these discharges unnecessary and have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sites.”