Part of the River Thames could become the first stretch to get alerts to say whether it is safe for bathing. As the open swimming trend booms, Port Meadow in Oxford could pave the way for other areas to follow suit.
Given to the people of Oxford more than a thousands years ago when the freemen of the city helped fend off Aldred the Great, the site has been many things over the years. In its time, it has been a racetrack, a wartime aerodrome, and even a Bronze Age burial ground.
And, according to The Times, it is now set to make another little bit of history, as wild swimmers have called for changes to how hundreds of stretches of river and monitored. Port Meadow appears to be on course to be the first part of the Thames where the authorities will issue alerts on whether the water is fit for bathing.
