10 January 2023 , 13:34
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An NHS worker believes she contracted Hepatitis A after she swam in sewage-ridden waters.
Hannah Murray began swimming in the sea in 2021 while seeking a new hobby to help her take care of her health, but things soon took a turn for the worse.
Environmentalists, the public and MPs have all complained about deregulation in the water industry leading to untreated sewage spilling out into British seas.
Continuing her hobby into 2022, Hannah, 38 and from Southsea, Hampshire, found she began to feel unwell.
Soon after, she found she had tested positive for Hepatitis A.
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The liver infection is treatable and people usually get better within a few months, according to the NHS, but it is an infection that spreads in faeces.
A person can get it from drinking unclean water and Hannah believes her sea swims were the reason behind her infection.
Hannah said she suffered from "a loss of energy, pain when eating and even headaches" (Jam Press)She said: "I thought I caught a cold, was just run-down, had a loss of energy, pain when eating and even headaches.
"But after New Year I went to GP who realised very quickly [it] was jaundice sent me to A&E for investigations."
After the diagnosis was revealed, she said believed her hobby caused the health problems because it "was the only additional change to my life."
Hannah became ill after swimming in the sea (Jam Press)As of last week, data seen by The Independent said there have been over 320 "pollution risk warnings" issued by the Environment Agency since the New Year.
On just Wednesday, January 4 alone, the Mirror documented over 60 warnings on just one day on the site including in Blackpool, Littlehampton and Runswick Bay.
Sewage problems, which water companies blame on an outdated Victorian system, have continued to affect beaches across the UK.
In a privatised system, the responsibility for repairing the systems lies with the water companies themselves, but criticism also came the way of former PM and Environment Secretary Liz Truss.
Sewage has been spotted on numerous occasions off Britain's coasts (@CarveMag/Twitter)Raw sewage discharge in England and Wales more than doubled from 2016 to 2021. Between 2014 and 2016 - When Truss was in the role - £235 million from the Environment Agency's budget was cut, limiting their ability to work with water companies to monitor the situation.
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Southern Water said in a statement in September: "Rain can overwhelm the combined sewer and drainage system which exists in many parts of our region. To protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding, storm overflows act as a release valve and release excess water into the sea."
They say 95% per cent of the water is rainwater and diluted.
However, the company recently faced criticism after residents of Hellingly in east Sussex had sewage backing up into their homes over the New Year period.
"There is a huge lack of response or responsibility taken from water supplier," Hannah argued (Jam Press)Hannah added: "There is a huge lack of response or responsibility taken from water supplier(s) who are releasing the contamination into our seas.
"There needs to be more collaboration between water companies and local authorities to protect humanity, this is not just happening to humans, animals are being affected too!"
Accusations of funding cuts and deregulation have also been levelled at the government. Ministers argued they were working to tackle discharges and cut them by a quarter by 2025.