An open water swimming company, responsible for multiple iconic river races, has collapsed following an "unprecedented" drop in participation.
Henley Swim has run open water swimming events in England's River Thames for over twenty years, including popular races like the Henley Classic and Thames Marathon.
Their events had previously been highlights of the English open water swimming calendar. However, growing concern about water safety has put thousands off racing, according to organizers.
"The relentless publicity about the quality of the water in the Thames has put thousands of people off the idea of open water swimming which has led to an unprecedented drop in the number of registrations," reads a statement from Henley Swim.
"The company has only ever existed to provide safe, wonderful open water swimming events here in the Thames at Henley.
"We do not have the reserves to be able to weather such a dramatic down-turn in revenue, through no fault of our own."
British and Northern Irish waters have come under immense scrutiny in recent years, and have even been described as a ‘chemical cocktail’ in a report by lawmaker.
The Thames has registered extremely high levels of harmful bacteria and other potentially harmful pollutants. In a 2024 study, wildlife expert Steve Backshall found pollution levels there to be "tens of thousands of times what it should be."
"We have norovirus, E. coli, and enterovirus all present at levels way higher than you would need to get sick from being close to the river. In fact, in some cases, so high that the laboratory technician refused to open them," Backshall reported to Instagram.
Along with the excessive use of fertilizer and pesticides, the Thames is heavily polluted by the billions of gallons of untreated sewage released by water management company Thames Water every year.
River-goers have been feeling the effects. Last year, several rowers in the historic Oxford-Cambridge boat race fell ill after high levels of E. Coli were detected in the Thames, while at least 35 competitors experienced sickness after swimming in the Berkshire stretch of the river as part of the Royal Windsor Triathlon in June.
In a statement, Thames Water said: "We are committed to seeing waterways thrive, but we can't do it alone. Farming, industry, road runoff, wildlife and increasingly extreme weather also play a role in river health."
If you're planning on wild swimming this summer, make sure to check for pollution levels first. You can look online for the How's My Waterway map in the US and the Surfers against Sewage map in the UK.
For more on river safety, check out our expert guide to safe open water swimming.
- The best changing robes: cocoon yourself post-swim in a protective layer
- The best water shoes: fast-draining, quick-drying and ready to take you from the shore to the sea
