A woman who was ill for a week after swimming in the sea has blamed a water company's sewage dumps.

Julia Walker, who lives in Shoreham, swims in the sea regularly. 

She is a social worker and said she swims to manage stress. 

In September, the morning before she was due to begin a new job, she went for a swim at Shoreham beach.

She said: "That evening I had a stabbing pain in my kidneys, I couldn't stand up straight.

"I rang the doctor's and they asked me to come in to do some samples."

The doctor confirmed that Ms Walker had a bacterial and a kidney infection. 

She said the doctor thought it was unusual to have both infections at the same time and said it was likely caused by swimming in contaminated water. 

Ms Walker said she was unwell for a week after her swim. 

"I felt really rotten. I was bedridden and my whole body was shaking," she said.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and Southern Water publish data about storm releases entering the sea.

Ms Walker said she now checks the website regularly.

She said: "I went on the SAS website after my swim and sure enough there had been an outpouring that day.

"I know I should have checked before swimming but it was a summer's day and there hadn't been any stormy weather.

"I am much more cautious in winter."

The Argus: Julia Walker said she thinks sewage dumps are disgustingJulia Walker said she thinks sewage dumps are disgusting (Image: Surfers Against Sewage)

It comes after campaign group Surfers Against Sewage published a damning report accusing water companies across the UK of dumping sewage off the coast illegally. 

SAS alleges that Southern Water, the water provider for Sussex, is the "worst offending"  in the UK for "dry spills".

A dry spill is when sewage is discharged into the ocean when there has been no rain. 

In stormy weather, rain can overwhelm combined sewer and drainage systems.

In these circumstances, Southern Water says it releases storm overflows “to protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding”.

A spokesman said: "We are transparent in sharing details of any storm releases entering the sea – made up of up to 95 per cent rainwater at times of increased pressure on our combined sewage network."

Ms Walker said she is now "fearful" of swimming in the sea and it took her two months to get back in the water. 

"Now I only swim with my head above water for fear of becoming ill again," she said. 

"Southern Water are dumping huge amounts of sewage and it is impacting all of us."

She thinks storm overflows are happening "all the time" and are being used as a cheaper option to dispose of waste.

She added: "I think it is disgusting that they are allowed to do this and the longer they can get away with it the longer they will continue to do it."

According to the SAS report, there were 13 dry spills reported in Sussex in the past year.

These included popular swimming spots such as Hove Lawns, Seaford, Shoreham beach, Southwick and Littlehampton.

The Argus: Surfers Against Sewage published their report on ThursdaySurfers Against Sewage published their report on Thursday (Image: Surfers Against Sewage)

Southern Water said: “We were sorry to hear that a member of the public became unwell after swimming in the sea.

“Whilst Southern Water takes bathing water quality extremely seriously, we are only one custodian of our coastline. We work closely with a range of partners including local councils, highways departments and the agricultural sector to enhance and protect our beaches."