Shrewsbury campaign for Bathing Water Status makes a splash as swimmers and paddlers take to River Severn
A colourful flotilla of swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders took to the Severn in Shrewsbury as part of a campaign to get bathing water status for part of the river.
The mass "swim and paddle out against pollution" began just upstream from Frankwell car park and went under the Welsh Bridge ending in the Quarry.
It coincided with Surfers Against Sewage events taking place across the UK.
Surfers Against Sewage is on a mission to get 200 inland bathing sites added to the almost 600 coastal locations that already have Bathing Water Status and is supporting the applications for both the Severn in Shrewsbury and the Teme in Ludlow.
Alison Biddulph, one of Saturday's swimmers, is leading the bid for the status for two sections of the Severn in Shrewsbury.
There has been huge controversy over the amount of sewage that Severn Trent is allowed to discharged into the Severn and the Teme.
The scores of people who took to the water on Saturday said that obtaining Bathing Water Status would help ensure the water was clean.
Alison said: "I've swum in the Severn in Shrewsbury for over five years, and many of my friends for as long as 30, and we’ve never been ill from it
"We have learnt when to swim, and when not to swim. We watch the river levels, rainfall here and in Wales, and we always walk along and check the water before we go in and we swim among the sand martins kingfishers and occasional otter when the salmon are around."
