A surfer from East London after being diagnosed with E. coli bacterial poisoning after swimming at Nahoon Beach is demanding that the Buffalo City Municipality should pay his medical bills.

Billy Kruger, the surfer, said, "This can kill people. They even had a surf school there that morning. This whole thing cost me about R600. It also affects your work because I was booked off.”

He went for surfing on last Monday and lifeguards after spotting a shark had asked the surfers to come out. Kruger said that sharks also get attracted after being bumped by one.

Kruger experienced a bad stomach pain and bouts of nausea five days after he went surfing, Kruger was hospitalised and diagnosed with E. coli poisoning.

Dr Gerhard Coetzer, who attended to Kruger, said, “He had infective gastro-enteritis with the most common cause being E. coli.”

Samkelo Ngwenya from the Buffalo City Municipality said they were unaware of the E. coli levels at Nahoon Beach.

“As far as Kruger is concerned, what happened was unfortunate, but for him to say we must be liable for medical costs is unfair,” said Ngwenya.

Krufer’s employer, Gerry Gericke, said the city’s contaminated beaches needed to highlighted.