University of Oxford rowers name boat after river campaign group

University rowers have named a boat after a campaign group committed to saving the UK's rivers from pollution.

The women's eights first team from Linacre College, University of Oxford, named it River Action in a ceremony at their boat house on Saturday.

The team said it was to honour the group for "drawing attention to water pollution on the River Thames believed to be caused by Thames Water".

Thames Water said improving river health was its "key focus".

Linacre College principal Dr Nick Leimu-Brown said the River Thames was "part of the daily life" of the university, adding: "We are horrified that its polluted waters are now such a risk to wildlife and public health."

River Action said its water quality experts, together with Fulham Reach Boat Club, used a World Health Organization verified E.coli analyser to run tests on a stretch of the river, ahead of the Gemini Boat Race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

It said the tests showed levels of E.coli "up to 10 times higher than what the Environment Agency considers acceptable for designated bathing waters graded poor".

The campaign group said the testing locations suggested "the source of pollution was from Thames Water discharging sewage directly into the River Thames".

Sydney Rose, Linacre Boat Club president, said it was "proud" to support River Action's vision.

River Action CEO James Wallace said the boat naming was "humbling", adding: "Together with the rowing community, including all the rowers at Linacre College, we are standing up for river health, placing the polluters on notice that we will hold you accountable."

In a statement, Thames Water said it regarded "all discharges as unacceptable" and that "taking action to improve the health of rivers is a key focus" for the company.

It said watercourses had "other potential hazards", adding: "This is why we support the government's advice on open water swimming."

Thames Water said it had published plans to upgrade over 250 of its sites, which would "improve performance and reduce the number of overflows during heavy rainfall".

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240.