As concerns mount over the condition of our waterways, an annual event has taken the decision to cancel this year's event.

The Boulter's to Bray Swim have said they are "sorry to announce" that the 2024 swim is cancelled.

The event was set to take place on July 6 and dates back to the 19th century.

It sees open water swimmers tackle the 0.9 mile stretch.

Writing to participants, the event organisers have said: "There has been an increasing amount of concern, locally and in the media, about the cleanliness of our rivers and the safety of river users.

"The safety of our swimmers has always been of paramount importance to us, and we are proud of our safety record.

"We continually review and update our risk register to satisfy ourselves that we are monitoring the inherent risks of open water swimming.

"Unfortunately, this year we are unable to find any satisfactory way that we can do this so we have made the tough decision to cancel the 2024 Swim."

Those who have entered this years event will be rolled over for next year or refunded.

It follows TV presenter Steve Backshall's claims that the water near Marlow has the bacterial equivalent of "untreated wastewater" after taking samples from the River Thames.

Steve said: “I’ve been kayaking and canoeing on this stretch of the river for over 20 years, and it’s only been since the pandemic that we’ve seen these massive sewage discharges.

“I’ve been regularly testing the water for a couple of years now with River Action UK, but I had never been part of a full scientific test before. These results show that anyone who goes into this water by any means is going to get badly sick.

“The guys at Bangor actually said to me, ‘Please tell us you’re not going in this river’. They described this level of sewage run-off as a death potion for the Thames.”