A mum was sick for three days straight after catching a stomach bug in a sewage-filled river.
Debbie Campbell has now called on the Tories to 'rethink' their decision to let water companies continue dumping sewage in Britain's waterways.
Conservative MPs last week voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill which would have forced water companies to stop allowing waste into rivers.
Debbie has been wild swimming ever since she was a child, however her horrific experience has put her off the activity for life.
She was left vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea after she jumped into the River Windrush near her home in Cirencester, Cotswolds.
The marine conservationist told The Mirror: "I jumped into the river and then a couple of minutes later I was walking through a shallow part and it was really gooey and slippy underneath.
"I could see it between my toes. Then I started to smell whiffs of sewage. It wasn't pleasant.
"I also noticed nothing was living in the water, there were no weeds or fish and it was quite murky. It felt like I was swimming in a dead river, it was quite eery.
"I decided to get out and go home and later smelt the sewage on my skin when I had a shower.
"I woke up at 5am that night feeling bloated and nauseous. I was going back and forth between the bathroom for two or three days as I couldn't hold any food down. It was awful.
"It was one of the worst illnesses I've ever had. You get so tired and exhausted and go to sleep and then it all happens again when you wake up."
Debbie's doctor told her she could have caught gastroenteritis during the swim in June.
Her GP said this is one of the likeliest issues with wild swimming in contaminated water, alongside skin, ear and eye infections.
The mum is convinced the sewage caused her to fall ill as the only time she has experienced a similar sickness before was when she swam in the River Thames while training for a triathlon.
She said gastroenteritis can pass through your skin, meaning swimmers can catch it even if they do not swallow any water.
Debbie and her children, Sandy, seven, and Summer-Rose, six, have now stopped wild swimming, even though the kids love the activity.
She told The Mirror: "It's a real shame. I'm a bit of a mermaid and I love the water but this has put me off.
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"It's too risky for my kids. It's only a matter of time before someone dies from it."
She said she was 'disgusted' by the Government's decision to vote against an amendment to the Environment Bill last week.
The proposed change would have forced water companies to take reasonable steps to stop dumping sewage into rivers and the seas during heavy rainfall.
Debbie added: "It needs to be addressed. When you see the rivers, they are dying.
"I'd say to the Tories please rethink if this. If this carries on you are going to have no rivers, they are going to die.
"They are the veins of our country and lead into the ocean. It's more than just a river, it's where families go for picnics, it's where children play.
"The Government needs to stop water companies dumping sewage into rivers."
