Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the race on Saturday, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds, after high levels of E coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course.
It means the traditional celebration in which members of the winning team often jump into the river – which was seen last year when the Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish jumped into the Thames at Mortlake – could be consigned to history.
I’m sure many people can guess this without having to read the article but, yes, the E coli is present due to faeces being discharged into the river:
River Action said the testing locations suggested the source of pollution is from Thames Water discharging sewage directly into the river and its tributaries. It said this was based on publicly available data which showed that the water company had discharged sewage into the Greater London area of the River Thames for 1,914 hours from the start of 2024 up to 26 March.