Writing exclusively for i, gold medalist rower Dame Katherine Grainger and cyclist Chris Boardman branded the pollution scandal a “national embarrassment” and called on the Government to take action.
Starting on Tuesday, the purpose of the bike ride is to shine a light on the effect ;climate change is having on sport and to encourage sporting organisations across the country to sign up to a pledge to become more sustainable.
On Wednesday, Boardman and Dame Katherine will visit the headquarters of Paddle UK in Nottinghamshire to draw attention to the impact sewage pollution is having on water sports.
Chris Boardman setting off on an eight-day bike ride from Manchester to Paris on Tuesday (Photo: Sport England)
“The health risks from the bacterial contamination of our waterways is serious. There have been thousands of reported cases of infections ranging from gastroenteritis, ear, nose, throat, eye, skin and kidney infections and even Weil’s disease,” the former GB athletes said.
“It is no exaggeration, therefore, to say that this is becoming an existential threat to water sports in the UK, putting in serious jeopardy Government targets to get the nation more active and to deliver continued Olympic and Paralympic success.”
Boardman and Dame Katherine said the sporting world was “united in shock at the risks to participants”, adding that the incident “brought home the parlous condition of our waterways”.
They said water “is a fundamental ingredient of Britain’s sporting life” and warned that pollution is having a “devastating” impact on British sport.
Water companies are allowed to discharge untreated waste during times of extreme rainfall to prevent their infrastructure from becoming overwhelmed and sewage backing up into people’s homes.
But public anger has been growing over how often this is happening and water companies have been accused of not investing in their infrastructure enough to keep up with population growth and increased rainfall from climate change. Evidence also suggests firms have dumped sewage during dry weather, which is illegal.
Boardman and Dame Katherine said they welcomed “the new Environment Secretary Steve Reed tasking his department to prioritise cleaning up rivers and recovering nature as his top priority”.
“While we understand that the new Government’s in-tray is full to overflowing, we must tackle this national embarrassment,” they added.
While Labour has committed to some of the policies in the manifesto, it has yet to sign up to all the pledges, including increased funding for the Environment Agency to monitor sewage spills and farmers so they can reduce agricultural pollution.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said: “This unacceptable destruction of our waterways should never have been allowed, but change has now begun so it can never happen again.
“I have announced significant steps to clean up the water industry to cut sewage pollution, protect customers and attract investment to upgrade its crumbling infrastructure.
“That change will take time. Over the coming weeks and months, this Government will outline further steps to reform the water sector and restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health.”
‘Pollution is having a devastating impact on British sport’
By Chris Boardman and Katherine Grainger
If there was ever any debate about the scandalous state of Britain’s rivers, this year’s 169th Varsity Boat Race laid that bare. Everyone was united in shock at the risks to participants and unfortunately the headlines focussed less on the sporting prowess of the athletes and more on the health risks of the river they were competing on.
Whether that was examples of rowers vomiting and suffering stomach bugs or warnings to avoid swallowing water or throwing the winning cox in the river, it brought home the parlous condition of our waterways.
For the first time, international news outlets like CNN ran stories about the race’s buildup. As the New York Times put it: “The warning is stern: Do not enter the water. Not because of the tide. Not because of sharks. Because of the sewage.”
One spectator was quoted as saying the river was so bad they wouldn’t even let their dog swim in it.
Water is a fundamental ingredient of Britain’s sporting life.
Millions regularly take part in more than 70 water sports and activities. Different sports or activities take place on the water, in the water and under the water. Everything from canoeing, kayaking, angling and sailing to wild swimming, diving and surfing.
The boat race is sadly just one example of the devastating effect that water pollution is having on British sport.
According to The Rivers Trust, only 15 per cent of English rivers met good ecological status and no river meets good chemical status. In 2023, there were a total of 464,056 sewage discharges into English rivers, waterways, and seas, averaging 1,271 sewage spills per day.
This is something we want to shine a light during Pedal for Paris – an eight-day bike ride from Manchester to Paris. Its purpose is to encourage action to protect our environment. To shine a light on the inspirational people and innovative projects that are tackling the climate and nature crisis.
On route, gathering commitments from community sports clubs and organisations – each one making their personal pledge to become more environmentally sustainable.
During the ride, we are being joined by scientists from leading environmental charity Earthwatch Europe. Their report published in June also painted a bleak picture: across the UK, 75 per cent of tests showed the rivers were in poor ecological health. In the Thames and Anglia regions, this rises to 89 per cent.
The health risks from the bacterial contamination of our waterways is serious. There have been thousands of reported cases of infections ranging from gastroenteritis, ear, nose, throat, eye, skin and kidney infections and even Weil’s disease.
It is no exaggeration, therefore, to say that this is becoming an existential threat to water sports in the UK, putting in serious jeopardy Government targets to get the nation more active and to deliver continued Olympic and Paralympic success.
Our Olympic and Paralympic athletes recognise that threat. Not only do many of them have to contend with the pollution in our waterways, day in day out, but they are also using their sporting platform to champion change. However, they need more support from business leaders and decision makers.
The impact of not acting is a less healthy and productive nation with the state of our water only adding to pressure on the NHS and acting as a handbrake on economic growth.
UK Sport and Sport England are coming together this week to say that we must act as a nation. To date, not enough has been done to grip this issue. That is why we strongly welcome the new Environment Secretary Steve Reed tasking his department to prioritise cleaning up rivers and recovering nature as his top priority. We look forward to working with Government and regulators to ensure that that water companies are held to account and there is robust action. It’s time to step up our efforts.
We know many sports are already doing impressive and serious work in this area, including the different members of the Clean Water Sport Alliance.
Our rivers, lakes and seas are the veins of the Earth, transporting the water and nutrients needed to support Britain’s ecosystems, including human and sporting life. While we understand that the new Government’s in-tray is full to overflowing, we must tackle this national embarrassment. We must restore the UK’s blue spaces for the enjoyment of all. We must make them places where everyone has the safety and the peace of mind to know that they can be active in sport and recreation.
