Eight-year-old Keeva Hollow fell ill after swallowing seawater while swimming with her twin sister at Dorset’s Avon Beach on August 3. Her mother, Aisling McCarthy, described seeing a wave hit Keeva and her spluttering after swallowing water, but at the time, she was not concerned since her other twin, Cornelia, had not swallowed any water. The incident initially seemed minor, but the next day, Keeva was lethargic, had a high temperature, and refused to eat. Aisling took Keeva to an out-of-hours doctor, who requested a urine sample. The child developed diarrhea with blood in it, prompting Aisling to recall a documentary about sewage pollution. She suspected the seawater might be contaminated and rushed Keeva to the emergency department. After two days in the hospital, Keeva was diagnosed with a campylobacter infection. Aisling noted that Keeva does not eat meat, a common source of the infection, and that her illness occurred directly after the sea-swallowing incident. Her twin, Cornelia, remained unwell. Aisling contacted Wessex Water, which manages wastewater for the River Stour, to inquire about possible sewage leaks but has not received a response. BCP Council also reached out, focusing on food poisoning and asking where Keeva had eaten. Aisling explained her belief that the seawater was the cause, but the council stated they had no other reports of illness from swimming in the sea. Recent tests of the River Stour, which flows into the sea at Christchurch, showed 'extremely unsafe' levels of E. coli. Martin Stewart, managing director of Stewarts Garden Centres and chair of the Christchurch Harbour & Marine Society, reported testing on August 19 showed E. coli levels of 300,000, far above the safe bathing level of 1,000. Stewart also found several other concerning levels of bacteria in his samples. Aisling said the family’s peaceful life by the ocean has been disrupted. Her husband is from the area and has always loved the sea; they moved to the region from London shortly after the twins were born. Councillor Andy Hadley, BCP Council Cabinet Member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, met with the family and said he was pleased to see Keeva had recovered. He emphasized the importance of following public health advice, such as avoiding swallowing water and practicing good hygiene after water activities. He also urged people to report any evidence of pollution to the Environment Agency and to seek medical help if they feel unwell after being in the water. Hadley noted that tracing the source of infections is difficult and that there have been no notifications from the UK Health Security Agency of other similar cases.