Victorious rowers in Britain's University Boat Race have been warned not to jump into the River Thames this weekend due to alarming levels of E. coli bacteria, as official data showed sewage spills hit a record high in 2023. Regular dumping of raw sewage in rivers and seas has sparked anger in Britain, with privatised water companies accused of failing to invest in infrastructure, meaning they are routinely dumping sewage in waterways. Data released on Wednesday showed that raw sewage was discharged for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023, more than double the previous year.