Oxford coach blasts Thames pollution as a national disgrace ahead of Boat Race with Cambridge

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The coach of Oxford’s crew taking part in the Boat Race has described the pollution in London’s River Thames as a “national disgrace.”

LONDON — The coach of Oxford’s crew taking part in the Boat Race described the pollution in London’s River Thames as a “national disgrace."

Testing by a campaign group has found high levels of E.coli along a section of the Thames in southwest London that will be used for the historic race on Saturday.

Crew members have been warned about the risks of entering the water and advised to use a “cleansing station” at the finish area. The pollution has also cast doubt on the post-race tradition of throwing the winning cox into the water.

The company responsible for the upkeep of the Thames faces mounting financial difficulties that critics say should force the company to return to state hands.

Figures released by the Environment Agency showed the level of sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching 3.6 million hours of spills in 2023 compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022.

There has been no suggestion that the annual Boat Race between storied universities Oxford and Cambridge that dates to 1829 will not go ahead. The women's race will precede the men's event along the same 4.2-mile (6.8-kilometer) section of the Thames.

But Oxford coach Sean Bowden lamented the state of the water.

“It’s a national disgrace, isn’t it?” Bowden posed. “It would be terrific if the Boat Race drew attention to it. We are very keen to play a part and we recognize we have a role and a responsibility to it.

“Why,” he added in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, “would you want to put your kids out in that?”

Invariably, the focus has turned to