E.coli has been traced in multiple water samples from the stretch of the River Thames that will host the famous Boat Race on Sunday, campaigners say.
Campaign group River Action, which started testing for the bacteria in the Thames on 10 March, said almost a third of samples (29.5%) exceeded safe limits for entering the water.
Water quality would be classed “poor” by official standards if it were a bathing water site, according to the campaigners.
In response, Thames Water said rivers were “very dynamic environments” and recent tests on E.coli carried out by Fulham Reach Boat Club had shown results “within the ‘excellent’ threshold since the start of March”.
The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities in London traditionally culminates in the winning team throwing their cox in the water, but last year they were warned to avoid the water after “alarmingly high” levels of E.coli were found.
Five-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave said rowers and others who enjoy the water “deserve better”.
“It’s a real worry that in 2025, unsafe water quality in the Thames is still a concern,” he added.
Last year, an Oxford rower said he had fallen sick from E.coli after training on the Thames and spotting “poo in the water”.
Thames Water said the boat race route was not technically bathing water, meaning it is not funded to routinely disinfect or sterilise the water in the same way.
Britain’s biggest water supplier has been battling against financial collapse since last year, narrowly avoiding being taken into government ownership last month.
