CAMPAIGNERS have warned that the stretch of the River Thames where this weekend’s Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race takes place fails to meet basic water quality standards.

Testing by River Action found that 29.5 per cent of its samples exceeded safe limits for entering the water — three times the threshold for bathing waters rated as “poor.”

Campaigners warn that treated wastewater from sewage plants, currently not subject to legal limits on E.coli levels, is a significant source of pollution in the Thames.

It found that upstream of the finish line, the monitoring system on the combined sewage overflow pipe at Kew Transfer has been offline since January 17, undermining the legal requirement for monitoring.

As a result, it is unclear how much sewage may have been discharged from the pipe near the finish line.

River Action’s Erica Popplewell said: “The Boat Race should be about sporting excellence and attracting people to take up water sports as a healthy activity — not about worrying if you’ll get sick from being dunked. 

“Thames Water has profited from pollution for years while the government has failed to enforce the law. 

“The decades-long water industry privatisation experiment has been a disaster.

“Thames Water should be put into government hands and operated for public benefit.”

Leading figures including retired Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave are demanding urgent intervention to protect river users, including competitors in Sunday’s race.

Sir Steve said: “It’s a real worry that in 2025, unsafe water quality in the Thames is still a concern.

“Rowers, river users and the public deserve better.”

Olympic champion rower Imogen Grant said: “As rowers, we train on these waters every day, and the health and climate risks are deeply concerning. 

“It’s unacceptable that we have to compete on a river with such an unavoidable threat to health.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.