A swimming race that dates back to the 1890s has been cancelled this year due to fears of sewage in the River Thames.
Organisers have called off the July 6 Boulter's to Bray Swim in Maidenhead announcing this week they could not find “any satisfactory way" to ensure it would be safe for participants.
Entries will be rolled over until next year or refunded as per the terms and conditions.
“The safety of our swimmers has always been of paramount importance to us, and we are proud of our safety record,” a statement read on the official website.
“We continually review and update our risk register to satisfy ourselves that we are monitoring the inherent risks of open water swimming.
“Unfortunately, this year we are unable to find any satisfactory way that we can do this so we have made the tough decision to cancel the 2024 Swim.”
The organisers said that they hoped for tighter regulations by next year over what is discharged into the Thames.
In April, it was reported that sewage flowed into London’s rivers for almost 10,000 hours last year. Thames Water was last year fined £3.3 million for ‘reckless’ pollution incident near Gatwick.
The statement added: “We love the Boulter's to Bray Swim and we know you do too as so many of you keep coming back year after year (thank you!).
“It's an event we should all be proud of, partly because of its awesome history, but also because it continues to invest charitable funds into the local community.”
