Got sick after swimming in the sea?
If you've come down with sickness, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, a fever, or an ear, eye, throat or skin infection within a few days of a Cornwall sea swim, it may be linked to water quality — especially if you swam during or just after heavy rain, or near a storm overflow. Here's what to do.
1. Look after your health first
Stay hydrated and rest. Contact your GP or call NHS 111 if symptoms are severe, persistent, or you're worried — especially for children, older people or anyone vulnerable. This guide is not medical advice.
2. Write down what happened, while it's fresh
- The beach and roughly where you entered the water.
- The date and time of your swim, and when symptoms started.
- Your symptoms and whether you saw a doctor.
- Anything you noticed in the water — smell, scum, brown water, wet wipes, foam.
3. Preserve evidence
Keep any photos or videos (they carry a timestamp), note other swimmers who were affected, and don't rely on memory — record it the same day.
4. Report it
- Environment Agency incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60, or report online.
- South West Water: report via their customer contact channels.
- Glanmor: log your illness so it joins the public picture and pulls together the nearby data automatically.
5. Build a free evidence pack
Glanmor's report builder links your swim to nearby storm-overflow spills, rainfall, tides and official samples around that date, and produces a timestamped pack you can download or print. It shows correlation — it is not proof of causation, and Glanmor does not promise compensation. If you want to pursue a claim, share the pack with a solicitor.
What are the symptoms of getting sick from sea water?
Diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever, and ear/eye/throat/skin infections — usually within 1–3 days.
Can I claim compensation if sewage made me ill?
Glanmor can't advise on claims or promise compensation — it assembles an evidence pack you can give to a solicitor or regulator. Causation is for professionals to assess.
Who do I report it to?
Your GP/NHS 111 for health, the EA (0800 80 70 60) and South West Water for the pollution, and Glanmor to add to the public record.
Do not rely solely on this website for health decisions. Check official alerts and use your own judgement. Seek medical advice if you are unwell.