Child contracts Weil's disease after river swim

The area was a muse for the artist John Constable and attracted more than six million visitors in 2021

A child has "suffered a severe infection" after swimming in a river, a parish council said.

In a letter to parents, Dedham Parish Council confirmed a local student had been diagnosed with Weil's disease and been "very poorly" after being in the River Stour, which runs through the Essex village.

The disease, also known as leptospirosis, is spread in the urine of infected animals such as rats and cows.

The Environment Agency said its latest samples "do not suggest any water quality issues" at sites designated for bathing in the river.

People can be infected by leptospirosis if soil or freshwater - such as water from a river that contains infected urine - gets in the mouth, eyes or a cut.

The parish council said it wanted to ensure that both students and parents were aware of the risks involved before choosing to swim at Dedham.

The site becomes increasingly popular during the warmer months, with people travelling to have picnics by the water and swim or use stand up paddleboards or kayaks.

The vale is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

In addition to Weil's disease and pollution, the council wanted to share other “serious safety concerns" it had regarding the river site at Mill Lane, where there are no lifeguards and often children and teenagers are there without parental supervision.

It said a young boy recently gashed his foot open and litter, including glass bottles and cans, is regularly left behind, causing significant safety hazards.

Many children jump from the bridge into the river, unaware that the water levels change and can be dangerously shallow.

There are also reports of metalwork underneath the bridge as well as swimmers, paddleboarders and wooden boats passing through.

It said it would continue to work with Stratford St Mary Parish Council, Suffolk County Council, the Environment Agency and others to "drive safety awareness, improvements and liability".

The area straddles Essex and Suffolk, including "Constable country", the picturesque home of the celebrated artist John Constable, who painted the landscape in some of his most well-known works.

The Environment Agency said it took routine samples of water at several sites along the River Stour to test if they were suitable for bathing, including Dedham Bridge and Flatford Mill.

Its samples had not shown any evidence of water quality issues in those areas.

The Agency added that open water locations that were not designated for bathing were not routinely tested to assess risk to humans, and could contain faeces from livestock and pollution from farming or industry.