Western Australia's Health Department is warning the public against swimming or taking shellfish from a section of the Swan River in East Fremantle that is affected by a sewage spill.

A burst pipe caused sewage to flow into the river along Riverside Road from the Stirling Highway bridge to the John Tonkin Reserve.

The department's director of environmental health, Jim Dodds, says the pipe is being repaired, but people should continue to avoid the water until further notice.

"People would actually need to ingest the water, so you're actually talking about swimming and immersing your head under the water," he said.

"But the sorts of thing you might experience are diarrhoea and vomiting.

"People that experienced any of those symptoms after coming in contact with that water in the area should seek help from their normal medical practitioner."

I have put a map here www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=3021 .
Remember that the tide has been incoming all night