4 August 2025, 11:26

By Laura Reineke

"Would you swim in the UK sea?"

This question reminds me of Robert Macfarlane’s thought-provoking new book Is a River Alive? It challenges us to reframe our relationship with water — not simply as something to be used or managed, but as something living, something with rights. As an activist and ultra-distance swimmer, I refuse to let failing water monopolies dictate where or how I swim.

I swim six times a week, often for hours at a time, training for some of the most extreme endurance swims in the world. Over time, I’ve become an unwilling expert in water quality. I know which places are safe, and which are not. Sadly, it’s not surprising that nearly half of Britons now avoid swimming in the sea. Last year alone, sewage spills increased by 60%. The images of human waste gushing into our rivers and seas are burned into the memory of........

© LBC