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Boulters to Bray Swim on for 2025 return

An historic River Thames swimming event is set to return to the Maidenhead calendar in 2025 – one year on from its cancellation over sewage pollution.

Boulters to Bray Swim, which dates back more than a century and sees hundreds of entries each year, was cancelled in 2024 over risks to swimmers’ safety due to sewage in the Thames.

More fears over river safety were raised in a report from environmental activist group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) which found 77 per cent of sites tested – including Boulters Lock, Bourne End and Windsor – were rated ‘poor’.

But swimmers using the Thames, including those who collected data for Maidenhead used in the report, have hit back against claims the river is unsafe.

And although Boulters to Bray organisers say water quality testing will be ramped up in the build up to the event, it is hoped the event will go ahead.

Bray to Boulters Swim organiser Keith Dixon told the Advertiser he was ‘optimistic’ the race would return this year.

What’s changed for us is an understanding of the way that we can run it,” he said.

“I think our decision-making process is much clearer as to when there are those high-risk times - which is rainfall in the days before the event.”

Discussing the SAS report, Keith said he ‘wasn’t surprised’ by the data – which showed spikes in e coli- a harmful bacteria - in the Thames at Boulters Lock over winter.