Participants at a Highland Perthshire outdoor swimming event that was called off halfway through due to a raw sewage leak will not be offered refunds by organisers.
In a statement, SwimWild said this is because the Scottish Winter Swimming Championships on Loch Tay was already well underway at the point of cancellation.
The team added that expenses - including venue hire, setup costs and ambulance cover - for the event at Taymouth Marina had already been paid for.
SwimWild did reveal, however, that it is pursuing legal avenues for compensation from the host resort’s insurance, which they would use to partially or fully refund attendees.
The competition on February 24-26 was well underway on the second day before the sudden discharge during a lunch break, when no swimmers were in the water.
Solid matter was seen floating on the surface where competitors were expected to enter - around 20m from the leakage point.
SwimWild had no choice but to cancel the event for “safety reasons”.
Referring to its terms and conditions on its cancellation policy for the Scottish Winter Swimming Championships 2023, the organiser’s statement read: “Sadly we cannot offer any refunds to participants who could not compete at this year’s event, as the event was already halfway through at the point of cancellation.
“At this point, all event expenses (including venue hire, set-up costs, extra pontooning, ambulance/medical cover, safety crew, warming tents, sound equipment, event admin costs etc) had already been incurred.
“As per our cancellation update email on February 28, we are having ongoing discussions with our insurers and legal advisers as to the next steps we can take. If we are able to get any compensation/payout from the venue’s insurance, we hope to pass this back to participants in the form of refunds/partial refunds if at all possible.
"This, however, will not be a quick process, and we will keep participants updated if and when we have anything to report.
“We thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Competition volunteers slammed the host resort and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for declaring the contaminated area on the loch safe to swim in the following day.
SwimWild also stated that concerns were raised with Taymouth a couple of days before the event regarding bad smells and vilified claims that overcapacity caused the raw sewage leak.
Taymouth Marina management say a “one-off” mechanical fault was to blame for the leak which SEPA says has been rectified.
SEPA officials stated there were “no signs of ongoing pollution” the following day on Sunday and were happy with Taymouth’s handling of the incident.
An agency spokesperson also concurred with the resort’s assessment that the sewage capacity became “overwhelmed” by the number of visitors on site.
SwimWild, however, claims there were “no additional participants or spectators” than expected, highlighting the six portaloos it had set up as part of the agreement with the venue.
Taymouth Marina general manager Darren Scott (below) said that they followed all guidelines set by SEPA.
He also confirmed that plans are in place for a replacement sewage system as part of an expansion, including the creation of an outdoor wellness and water sports centre.
Mr Scott added: “Following a review and thorough inspection from SEPA, Taymouth Marina is satisfied our robust incident response processes were followed.
