Hundreds of tourists have fallen ill after visiting UK beaches, new figures have revealed.
Marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) received more than 700 reports of sickness across 406 locations this year alone, including from ‘Blue Flag’ beaches which must pass strict tests for cleanliness.
While more than 15,000 days – equivalent to 41 years – have been taken off work due to sickness.
The polluted water, the charity said, has caused swimmers to suffer from illnesses such as gastroenteritis and ear infections, which has led to hospitalisations and time spent off work.
Some 765 people contacted SAS about their illness in 2026, with nearly half – 322 – reporting sickness since the UK’s temperatures rose on May 1.
This prompted Britons to flock to the nation’s coast and beaches to cool off from extreme heat.
The findings come as the UK faces its fifth heatwave this year, with highs of 36C (97F) expected next week – and a prediction that the annual record for days exceeding 30C (86F) will be broken.
Bournemouth was the most reported location in the study, with 16 reports of illness, as thousands have visited the coastline during this year’s unprecedented UK summer.
Hundreds of tourists have fallen ill after visiting UK beaches, new figures have revealed, including Polzeath Beach in Cornwall (pictured)
Marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage received more than 700 reports of sickness across 406 locations this year alone, including in Exmouth (pictured)
Women enjoyed the weather in Polzeath in Cornwall, nicknamed the ‘poshest’ seaside town
Sunbathers soaked in the rays on a beach in Swanage in Dorset
Three of the reports came from Durley Chine beach, which won the Blue Flag status in 2026.
While 13 people reported sickness from Croyde Bay in Croyde, north Devon, and from the popular Polzeath in Cornwall.
Polzeath – nicknamed the UK’s ‘poshest’ seaside town – has been a favourite of the royals, with Prince William and Prince Harry favouring it for a summer retreat in 2012.
The small resort town has an average house price of £1.25million, while it is understood 43 per cent of properties are valued at more than £1million.
Former prime minister David Cameron, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and TV chef Gordon Ramsay have also owned property in the Cornish town.
In the charity’s rankings, Rest Bay in Porthcawl in Bridgend, Wales, followed Polzeath with 12 people reporting they were unwell to SAS.
Some ten people reported illness from Exmouth in Devon, as nine said they became unwell after visiting a beach in Portreath, a north Cornwall coastal town.
While eight people suffered after visiting Saunton Sands in north Devon, Swanage Central in Dorset and Ogmore in Barry, Wales.
The charity received seven reports from people who had visited Woolacombe Village, north Devon.
Britons have flocked to the coast and beaches to cool off from extreme heat, including to Brighton in East Sussex (pictured)
The UK faces its fifth heatwave this year, with highs of 36C expected next week, which will prompt people to flop on the nation’s beaches (Pictured: Portreath in Cornwall)
Three women lie in the sun on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex, on Friday
Surfers line the shore of the sea on Porthcrawl Rest Bay Beach in Bridgend, Wales
SAS said sewage dumping by water companies is ‘making us sick’, which it said has been going on for ‘decades’, adding the new data reveals the scale of the illness.
In 2024, water companies in England recorded 2,487 pollution incidents, while 4.7million hours was spent dumping sewage into UK waters.
This comes as the charity’s findings revealed 15,362 days were taken off work due to sickness ‘contracted’ from the UK’s waters this year.
The most reported location – of 1,014 days – was St Mary’s Bay in Kent.
Notably, there is no indication what could be behind sickness at the Blue Flag locations.
SAS has received 8,313 reports of sickness from Britain’s beaches since 2019.
Jo Morley, head of campaigns at SAS, said: ‘Thousands of water users are reporting this to us, and this is likely just the tip of the iceberg.
‘From gastroenteritis and ear infections, to weeks off work and hospitalisations. This is a public health crisis.
‘We know that sewage is pouring into our waters, even during this summer’s exceptionally dry weather, and it’s totally unacceptable that people are getting ill in any case, especially after using bathing waters rated as “excellent”.’
‘There is no official Government data, and no legal protections for people using the water,’ Ms Morley added.
‘This is symptomatic of a totally broken system that has put profits first for too long, allowing polluters to cash in whilst dumping sewage without punishment, and this has to change.’
Polzeath has been a favourite of the royals, with Prince William (right) and Prince Harry (centre) visiting it for a summer retreat in 2012
SAS urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Government to end the privatised water industry, adding: ‘The PM must take back control of failing water companies and remove the profit motive and restructure them, starting with Thames Water.’
The ‘Blue Flag’ is awarded to beaches with high water quality, minimal waste, good biodiversity and are both safe and accessible.
