A local mother has appealed for information after both she and her son became unwell following a paddleboarding trip on the River Avon near Marlcliff.
The woman shared her experience on a social media community page, explaining that she and her son had spent time on the river on Monday using a paddleboard while wearing life jackets.
She said her son went swimming in the river, while she remained on the paddleboard, occasionally dipping her feet into the water.
According to the post, her son became unwell on Tuesday evening, suffering from sickness, a temperature, fatigue and body aches. She later developed similar symptoms herself.
The mother stressed that she was not seeking to blame anyone but wanted to know whether anybody else who had visited the same stretch of river had experienced similar symptoms.
She wrote:
“There were quite a few people enjoying this stretch of river and I wondered if anyone else had been poorly?”
At this stage, there is no evidence linking the illnesses to the river and the cause of the symptoms remains unknown. Vomiting, fever and body aches can be caused by a range of common viral and bacterial infections.
However, health experts advise people taking part in open-water swimming, paddleboarding and other river activities to take precautions, including avoiding swallowing water and washing hands before eating or drinking. Water quality can sometimes be affected by factors such as agricultural run-off, wildlife, pollution incidents and heavy rainfall.
The stretch of river near Marlcliff, upstream from Evesham and close to Bidford-on-Avon, is popular with paddleboarders, kayakers and wild swimmers, particularly during periods of warm weather.
Anyone who experiences sickness, diarrhoea, fever or other symptoms after swimming or taking part in water-based activities is advised to seek medical advice through their GP or NHS 111 if symptoms are severe or persistent.
Suspected pollution incidents can be reported to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
The Evesham Observer would like to hear from anyone who was using the River Avon near Marlcliff around the same time and subsequently experienced similar symptoms. Please email [email protected]
Main Image: For illustration purposes only
