{"id":698380,"date":"2026-07-18T12:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/698380\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T12:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:22:11","slug":"wild-swimmer-struck-down-by-waterborne-disease-demands-beach-safety-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/698380\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild swimmer struck down by waterborne disease demands beach safety reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wild swimmer who was struck down by a parasitic infection after swimming in contaminated water has called for year-round monitoring to protect beachgoers.<\/p>\n

Shelley Sim, an East Lothian-based carer, has backed calls for stronger protections after analysis found Portobello Beach recorded E.coli levels ten times above the safe limit.<\/p>\n

Campaigners say water quality should be monitored more regularly outside the bathing season, after pollution warnings were issued for a number of Scottish beaches.<\/p>\n

Shelley used to swim almost every single day, year-round, before becoming seriously ill after a dip in open water in September 2023.<\/p>\n

After being unwell at home for several days, she was told by her GP to urgently get to hospital. She was admitted to the infectious diseases unit, suffering from severe dehydration and unable to keep food or drink down, and spent five days in the hospital recovering.<\/p>\n

She told STV News: \u201cI couldn\u2019t eat or drink anything at all because my body would just reject it. I couldn\u2019t keep anything down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I eventually got admitted to hospital, I was severely dehydrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scariest part was that they didn\u2019t know what was wrong. Having to sit and wait while they did all these tests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ShelleyShelley Sim\/FacebookShelley Sim in hospital in 2023 Shelley Sim\/Facebook<\/p>\n

It took several weeks of appointments to reach a final diagnosis of cryptosporidium, a diarrheal disease and parasite contracted through human or animal waste in contaminated water, which Shelley contracted while swimming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just grateful in a way that it happened to me because I was healthy enough to get through it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung children and anyone who is immunocompromised can\u2019t fight it as easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

With sunnier skies comes the urge to head to the coast, but over the past month, water pollution has prompted warnings against swimming and paddling at beaches including Kinghorn, Saltcoats and Portobello, which recently tested 10 times over the safe limit for E. coli.<\/p>\n

According to SEPA, a DNA analysis of the recent incident at Portobello showed the pollution was likely due to gull fouling.<\/p>\n

While SEPA says 82% of bathing beaches across Scotland are rated excellent or good, some swimmers say questions remain about what happens at the sites that fall outside of that majority.<\/p>\n

Experts argue pollution incidents may be more widespread than routine sampling suggests.<\/p>\n

\"TheSTV NewsThe modelling by marine expert Dr Tom Scanlon shows what happens when raw sewage is released into the Forth STV News<\/p>\n

Marine expert Dr Tom Scanlon has used advanced computer modelling to demonstrate the behaviour of a sewage spill, showing that rather than staying close to the discharge pipes, pollution can actually travel for miles in moving plumes or hot spots for up to two and a half days before breaking down.<\/p>\n

Because pollution levels can vary significantly over short distances, routine water sampling at individual, stationary sites cannot always capture the full extent of a contamination event.<\/p>\n

Just how comfortable beachgoers feel about taking a dip varies wildly.<\/p>\n

One woman at Belhaven Bay says that an experience she had ten years ago put her off swimming in the sea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came out, my legs were stained green,\u201d she said. \u201cI went home and had a bath, and I could smell sewage coming off my legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I would maybe go for a paddle at most in this water now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another beachgoer warned people often forget about invisible chemical pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water can be clear as glass,\u201d he said. \u201cJust because there\u2019s nothing floating in it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s 100% clean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SEPASTV NewsSEPA says rise in E. coli due to gull fouling STV News<\/p>\n

But another local swimmer remained unfazed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s safe enough,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019ve been swimming here all my life, so I\u2019ve never really minded about going in at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Shelley, her approach to her sport completely changed following her ordeal.<\/p>\n

While she has since returned to the sea as part of the wild swimming group, the Salty Sisters in Dunbar, she is now far more cautious.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me a good nine weeks before I even thought about getting back in the water,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering I\u2019d been swimming every day for a couple of years before that, those nine weeks felt like a lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was always the rule \u2013 don\u2019t swim 48 hours after heavy rainfall. I\u2019d heard it, but I didn\u2019t quite understand why. Obviously, now I know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelley is among those campaigning for year-round monitoring of bathing waters.<\/p>\n

She believes the UK needs to look toward international examples to better protect public health.<\/p>\n

\"CallsSTV NewsCalls for year-round water pollution monitoring STV News<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole UK is an island. We are all surrounded by water, and it should be a lot easier for us to be able to keep it clean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got places like Copenhagen, where they have invested in good sewer systems. They look after the water and keep people educated about what they can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething as simple as year-round testing and a light system would make all the difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we had things like that, that would be so much easier for people\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: \u201cIn 2025, Scotland had the highest ever number of bathing waters rated \u2018Excellent\u2019 for water quality; 50 compared with 17 a decade ago, with 97% of sites now achieving sufficient or better quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe monitor water quality during the bathing season and pre-season period (May 15 to September 15) and provide information so that people can make informed choices about using the water. If elevated results are identified, we promptly investigate and, if necessary, take action to deal with any pollution incident. DNA analysis of the elevated Portobello result showed it was likely due to gull fouling.<\/p>\n

\u201cSEPA\u2019s bathing water classifications follow the method set out in the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008. Using a four-year rolling dataset ensures results are robust and representative. This approach gives a clearer indication of overall water quality, rather than short-term variations that can be caused by factors such as heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Scottish climate impacts water quality, due to heavy rain washing contaminants off both rural and urban land, together with overflows from sewage systems in affected areas. At many bathing waters there is a risk that water pollution may occur after heavy rain. Bathing is not advised during or one to two days after heavy rain due to health risks from water pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt selected bathing waters, typically those where water quality is most likely to be impacted by rainfall, we make daily bathing water quality predictions online, which are also accessible from electronic information signs at the beach locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

STV News is now on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

Follow STV News <\/a>Follow STV News on WhatsApp<\/p>\n

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n

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