'I went for a swim in the sea and ended up in hospital for five days'

A woman was hospitalised for five days after swimming in the sea off the UK coast. Shelley Sim took a dip with her swim group to celebrate a friend's birthday - but woke up the next morning with stomach pains and fatigue.

Her GP told her to go to the hospital urgently, where she remained for five days due to severe gastroenteritis and dehydration. Following her initial stay in hospital, Shelley underwent several weeks of appointments which led to a final diagnosis of cryptosporidium – a diarrheal disease contracted by swimming in contaminated water.

Shelley, a carer from East Lothian, , said: “I’m no longer swimming every day, and I’m more cautious about getting into the water. 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."

“It impacted my son’s mental health. He has OCD, ADHD and autism and I'm his carer. My illness caused a lot of anxieties and stress.”

Shelley shared her story after a new report revealed that Scottish Water's sewage discharges could be as high as 364,629 - an average of more than one discharge every 90 seconds. At the end of last year, Scottish Water published its first public data on its sewage overflows. Scottish Water admitted to having near 4,080 combined sewage overflows – where sewage is released directly into waterways or the sea – yet only 1,116 appear on its sewage discharge map.

The Water Quality Report by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) found that Scottish Water has the highest average discharge rate, at 89.3 discharges per CSO, of any water company in the UK, and the missing data shows that Scottish Water failed to report 73% of discharges in real time.

This has led to swimmers and surfers being unable to track polluted waters and figure out when and where it is safe to swim. Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, said: “These sewage figures are appalling, and yet they are likely just the tip of the fatberg, due to Scottish Water’s reckless approach to monitoring and public safety.

“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.

"People are getting sick and yet Scottish Water are standing idly by, happy to sweep the scale of the sewage scandal in its waters under the carpet. 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.

He addressed Scottish Water directly, stating: "You’re polluting your incredible wild waters and leaving the public in the dark, and at risk. It’s time to step up and provide real-time sewage alerts and dramatically improve your woefully inadequate monitoring."

This year’s report highlights that in 2024 alone, SAS received 1,853 sickness reports. Cumulatively, the number of sick days likely linked to sewage pollution amounts to 9 years' worth, with an estimated hit to the UK economy of £493,200. SAS say these figures only cover sickness cases directly reported to their organisation, and that the true scale of sickness from poor water quality is likely to be far higher.

Professor Simon Parsons, director of environment, planning and assurance for Scottish Water, told STV: “The quality of Scotland’s water environment remains high, with 87% of water bodies classed as good or better. We continue to invest in infrastructure – £500m in addition to the £2bn spent in the last decade – which helps improve it further to meet national targets.

“Our waste water treatment systems handle more than one billion litres of waste water every day and are a vital part of the water cycle in Scotland. The route map we published in 2021 set out a crystal-clear commitment to invest further, monitor performance at more locations and strive to prevent pollution incidents before these happen.

"We are on track to deliver on those commitments.”

Shelley became ill after a swim in the waters near Belhaven, East Lothian.