A mum was hospitalised for five days after an innocent dip in the sea turned into a nightmare.
Shelley Sim headed to the beach to celebrate her friend’s birthday, but the following day noticed she was fatigued and had stomach pains.
She contacted her GP, who told her to go to hospital urgently – where she ended up staying for days with severe gastroenteritis and dehydration.
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Shockingly, doctors found that Shelley had contracted a diarrheal disease, cryptosporidium, from swimming in contaminated water.
The experience has left her nervous of swimming, her daily hobby, due to fears of sewage making her poorly again.
“I’m no longer swimming every day, and I’m more cautious about getting into the water,” Shelley, who lives in East Lothian, Scotland, said.
“The sea is where I go for my mental health, to get away from stress of being a carer.
“The first thing I do now is check outfalls.
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“That’s good, but it comes from a place of fear.
“I shouldn’t be doing this.
“I should be checking the tide, not when was it heavy rain and if there were any spills.”
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Shelley, who cares for her son, who has OCD, ADHD and autism, says her experience has impacted her son’s mental health, adding: “My illness caused a lot of anxieties and stress.”
Her story comes amid the release of a report from Surfers Against Sewage, an environmental charity, which found sewage was discharged into Scottish rivers, lochs and seas “every 90 seconds” in 2024.
The group found that Shelley’s native Scotland had the highest average discharge rate of sewage of any water company in the UK.
They estimate that up to 73% of discharges weren’t reported in real time, leaving swimmers unaware of polluted waters and unsure of whether or not they were safe to swim in.
Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Scotland’s coastline, lochs and rivers are some of the most stunning on the planet, with surfers, swimmers and paddleboarders wanting to make the most of these beautiful blue spaces.
“But these waters are far from pristine.
“With no legal requirement to issue sewage alerts in Scotland, water users have no idea whether or not it’s safe to enter the water.
“SAS provides sewage alerts via the Safer Seas and Rivers Service in England and Wales, however, Scottish Water’s inaction will mean the Scottish map will remain blank this year, with surfers and swimmers gambling with their health each time they dive in.”
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