Julie Maughan, 59, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, is warning parents about the dangers of E.coli after her eight-year-old daughter Heather Preen died in 1999 following a family holiday to Dawlish Warren in Devon.
Heather contracted E.coli during the trip, which her mother believes came from sewage in the water at the beach. Julie's story inspired Channel 4's 'Dirty Business' documentary, and she now wants other parents to understand the risks, especially during summer.
A tragic holiday
In July 1999, Julie, her husband Mark, and their daughters Heather and Suzanne, then 10, were on holiday in Dawlish. Before swimming at Dawlish Warren beach, they encountered a sewage pipe. Julie said they tried to jump over the water spilling from it, but Heather slipped and her foot entered the water. Mark recalled seeing toilet paper in the water.
That night, Heather became suddenly ill with a severe upset stomach. Julie said: "She had a really bad upset stomach and she came out of the bathroom really distressed. I just did what any mother would. I calmed her down, kept her off her food and made sure she drank water. Heather being heather was as good as gold."
Rapid deterioration
Heather's condition worsened, with bleeding from her rectum. A doctor initially said it was colitis and gave her an anti-sickness tablet, which Julie now believes was a bad idea. The bleeding intensified, and after a second doctor's visit, they were sent to casualty.
At the hospital, medical staff initially couldn't get a blood pressure reading, assuming the machine was broken. Tests later revealed Heather had an aggressive strain of E.coli, a bacteria found in contaminated water and faeces.
Julie said other families and children began showing similar symptoms, leading to questions about the water and the beach. Heather suffered fits and was rushed to intensive care in Bristol, where she remained for about a week. Doctors told Julie there was no brain activity, and the family decided to turn off life support.
Aftermath and investigation
Heather died on August 8, 1999. The inquest in February 2000 heard there had been a sewage discharge a few days before the family swam at the beach. However, South West Water and the Environment Agency said a single spill from a storm overflow four days earlier was unlikely to be the source. The cause of the outbreak was not identified, and a verdict of misadventure was returned.
Julie has since campaigned for better water quality. Tragically, Mark took his own life 17 years after Heather's death.
Ongoing concerns
Julie says nothing has changed since her daughter's death, and she claims water companies are still illegally dumping sewage. She fears another outbreak during a summer of heatwaves and lack of rainfall.
She said: "I don't want people to suffer what I suffered. I don't want children to spend half their holiday with sickness and diarrhoea." She added: "There's toxic soup going on, and it's an outbreak waiting to happen. Right now, this is a public health crisis."
The charity Surfers Against Sewage, which has supported Julie, said: "Sewage overflows... are designed to discharge waste only during heavy rainfall, when sewer systems risk becoming overwhelmed. However, our investigation shows that sewage is being discharged even when it hasn’t rained."
Their investigation found that in 2025, 105 bathing waters experienced 7,885 hours of illegal dry spills, and 79% of those locations are classified as "good" or "excellent" bathing waters.
Advice for families
Julie urges people to download the SSRS app (Safer Seas and Rivers Service), which provides live information about water quality and recent sewage spills around the UK coast. She advises checking the app before going to the beach and doing something else if it's not safe.
She also recommends using hand sanitizer and covering any cuts or open wounds.
