THAMES AT TEDDINGTON IS DESIGNATED AS FIRST OFFICIAL SWIMMING SPOT

 

 

The River Thames near Teddington has been designated as the first official swimming area in London from May this year and is one of only thirteen spots in the whole country.

The specific area on the Ham side of the river was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.

Marlene Lawrence, the founder of the river swimming group, Teddington Bluetits, which has more than 2,000 members, put in the bathing water application alongside her colleagues.

“This would be amazing for the river and for the many people who enjoy it,” she said. “We want bathing water status to be a driver of keeping the River Thames clean and it will be fantastic to have this part of the river designated.”

She told Teddington Town: “I am over the moon about achieving bathing water status for our little bit of the Thames. It is so well-used all year round, not just by swimmer bhut by families, paddle boarders, sailors, kayakers and rowers. We have all known how lucky we are to have this on our doorstep and I will always promote swimming in the Thames.”

The news, which has significant media coverage today, comes as Thames Water attempts to introduce a controversial new sewage recycling system to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from the Thames near the proposed bathing water area and replace it with treated effluent from the large Mogden sewage works in west London to help tackle water shortages.

A petition against the scheme has attracted thousands of signatures and been presented to the beleaguered water giant.

A spokesperson for SOLAR (Save Our Lands and River) which is campaigning against the Thames Water scheme, said: “This is excellent news about the proposed new London swimming location on the Thames covering Ham, Kingston and Teddington and developing natural spaces and waterways they way they should be.”

Another said: “This is great work by all of those who campaigned for this designation and will hopefully make everyone aware of the benefits of river activities for public health whether it’s swimming or other on water activities and reinforce the importance of keeping the river clean and healthy to big companies like Thames Water.”

The designation means that in summer regulators will test the waters to check for harmful bacteria including E. coli. It is, however, no guarantee. Officials will class the water as excellent, good, sufficient or poor. If it is poor, signs will go up advising people to stay out of the water.

Local MP Munira Wilson told Teddington Town: “I am absolutely delighted that the River Thames at Ham and Kingston is being considered as one the first-ever designated bathing spots in London, because everyone deserves to swim, paddle and row in clean, healthy water.”

“With the Government acknowledging the need to improve water quality, I hope they will also heed my and campaigners’ calls to scrap Thames Water’s proposals to pump treated effluent into the river Thames at Teddington – plans that are fundamentally incompatible with improving water quality along our precious stretch of the River Thames.”

Thames Water’s Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) proposals would replace river water with treated sewage at Teddington Lock. Munira, residents and local campaigners are concerned about the environmental impact of these proposals, including on human health, biodiversity, wildlife and water quality.

Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park also welcomed the new bathing site but said that Thames Water must ensure its plan for a water recycling plant at nearby Teddington, which will draw water from the river and top up the Thames with highly treated effluent, is “compatible with bathing water status”.

Water minister Emma Hardy said: “The Thames is the vital artery at the heart of London’s cultural and sporting life.

The sites under consultation are:

• Little Shore, Amble, Northumberland

• Newton and Noss Creeks, Devon

• Canvey Island Foreshore, Essex

• Sandgate Granville Parade Beach, Kent

• Queen Elizabeth Gardens, Salisbury, Wiltshire

• East Beach at West Bay, Bridport, Dorset

• Pangbourne Meadow, Berkshire

• River Fowey in Lostwithiel, Cornwall

• River Swale in Richmond, Yorkshire

• Falcon Meadow, Bungay, Suffolk

• River Thames at Ham and Kingston, Greater London

• New Brighton Beach (east), Merseyside

• River Dee at Sandy Lane, Chester, Cheshire

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