Dart10K: No money for refunds says swim event charity

Level Water, which took over the event from the Outdoor Swimming Society, said it had no other option but cancellation

Organisers of a cancelled 10km swimming event have told swimmers they cannot refund their tickets because most of the money has been spent.

The Dart10K event in Devon on Saturday and Sunday was cancelled by charity Level Water due to poor weather.

One swimmer who paid £110 for a ticket, said a part refund or deferred place for next year should have been offered.

Ian Thwaites, chief executive of Level Water, said the ticket money had "to a large extent been committed".

The event was set to make its first return since 2019, but forecasts have postponed it for another year

The 10km (6.2 miles) swim, from Totnes to Dittisham was due to be held for the first time since 2019 with 800 swimmers on each day.

It has been held since 2009 but was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Level Water, which took over the event from the Outdoor Swimming Society in March, said on Thursday that strong winds and rain had forced it to cancel both days of the event.

That led to complaints from swimmers on social media and demands for ticket money to be returned.

'Cannot claw money back'

Swimmer Kathryn Bamforth, from south Devon, was among many swimmers who voiced their concerns on social media about the cancellation.

"No-one would ever query a cancellation because of safety, that has to come first," she told BBC News.

"And cancellations happen, that is part of any outdoor sport, but others in the past have offered a refund or a deferment."

Mr Thwaites said: "We were clear from the start that refunds would not be available.

"The ticket money has to be a large extent been committed to the event.

"We have paid for marquees and toilets and we cannot claw it back."

If the charity paid refunds there would not be enough money to run the event next year, he said.

It had considered other days, turning the event around but "we have not found anything workable", he said.