TEDDINGTON SEWAGE CAMPAIGNER INVITES MINISTER FOR A ROW IN THE THAMES..
Teddington clean water campaigner and former Olympic rower Ian McNuff today invited a government minister to join him and other Olympic rowers in a boat on the Thames to highlight the sewage issue.
Ian was being interviewed on Nick Ferrari’s LBC show this morning in advance of a major demonstration tomorrow (sat) against Thames Water’s Teddington’s Direct River Abstraction Scheme (TDRA) which will pump treated sewage into the river.
Mr McNuff challenged the Environment Minister Steve Reed to join him and other Olympian rowers in an ‘eight’ on the river so he could see for himself the state of the River Thames near Teddington.
He also highlighted that 21 senior members of the beleaguered water giant company stand to earn over £18million in bonuses just ‘for staying in their jobs.’
In previous interviews Mr Reed has indicated a willingness to visit Teddington if he can find a ‘slot’ in his calendar.
The campaign is led by SOLAR – Save our Lands and River – and has dubbed the scheme Stop the Thames Sewage Pump.
Mr McNuff told the programme the scheme would cost over £1billion and only be used six weeks a year and that there were cheaper and more effective alternatives such as repairing leaking pipes.
Thames Water has launched a-ten week public consultation programme involving several events inviting people to share their views on the project and promising to consider them when decisions are finally made.
To find out more about their events visit thames-sro.co.uk/events. The consultation runs until Tuesday 26 August 2025. To discover more, read the consultation materials, and have your say, visit thames-sro.co.uk/tdra/statcon20
Local Lib Dem MP said: “Thames Water has launched the next stage in its controversial proposals to replace river water in our stretch of the Thames with treated sewage – a proposal that I and many residents have challenged on health and environmental grounds.
“On Saturday 28 June, local campaign group Save our Lands and River (SOLAR) is hosting a protest to show residents’ opposition to Thames Water’s Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) proposals. The protest will take place from 10:45 am to 2:00 pm this Saturday 28 June at Burnell Avenue Green Space in Ham.
“There are still hurdles for Thames Water to go through before these proposals are approved, so it’s crucial that we continue to challenge them every step of the way. Swimmers, rowers, kayakers, families and others from the community will be out in force on Saturday. Please do come along and join if you can!
“Do also make sure to have your say in the statutory consultation before it closes on 26 August. The first in a series of public information events held by Thames Water is on Monday 30 June at Twickenham Stadium.”
Tomorrow (sat) SOLAR supporters will gather at10.45am at Burnell Avenue Green Space (KT25RA) to tell the Government that they reject the TDRA scheme because “it is environmentally damaging and there are much better alternatives.”
Organisers are urging people to assemble 10.45 on land and on the river – and to bring messages and banners for an 11.00am Show of Hands for the media, followed by short speeches, Q&A from SOLAR experts on the scheme details and find out how you can show your opposition.
They say: “Thames Water are seeking Government approval for the Teddington Direct River Abstraction scheme, allowing the dumping of partially treated sewage in the Thames, abstraction of water when the Thames is at its lowest, the digging of new tunnels causing damage to homes, woodlands and open spaces.”
They further claim: There are many other viable other alternatives, including
- Fixing the leaks – TDRA generates 75 m litres of water a day for 6weeks a year compared to 624m litres lost daily by leaky pipes
- Stopping export of water from London to other areas
- Faster smart meter roll out & better demand management
- Efficient use of existing reservoirs & building new reservoirs
- Using existing advanced sewage treatment processing
Thames Water says: “We’re taking action now to secure London’s water supply for the future. During a drought, our proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction project would provide up to an extra 75 million litres of water a day for London, supplying residents, businesses, schools, hospitals and other essential services.
“We’ve launched a public consultation and we want to hear your views on these vital plans. The project works in two parts: the first tops up our reservoirs with water from the River Thames, while the second replaces the water that we’ve taken from the river with recycled water.”
You can learn more about the campaign and how to support SOLAR here: STOP Thames Water TDRA – Save Our Lands & River from Thames Water