Shrewsbury Severn swimmers brave filthy weather in bid to get river bathing status
Campaigners aiming to prove that enough people use a stretch of the River Severn that it warrants bathing water status have hailed a weekend count of swimmers a success.
More than a hundred people defied the wet and dreary weather at the weekend to venture into the River Severn as part of a bid to get the stretch of water cleaned up and given bathing water status.
The river swimmers by the Frankwell car park in Shrewsbury on Saturday were all counted to prove how many swimmers actively use the waters.
The count between 10am and 2pm was to show to DEFRA that bathing water status was warranted as at least 100 people on the count day used the stretch of water in Shrewsbury.
The campaign has been spearheaded by wild swimmer Alison Biddulph, from Shrewsbury, who has been swimming in the rivers in the town along with other Shropshire waterways for the last five years.
Alison has been raising awareness of the raw sewage currently contaminating the river and has even featured on Channel 4's Gogglebox.
