River Thames spot amongst 13 websites shortlisted for swimming standing | Rivers

The first designated bathing water space on the River Thames in London has been shortlisted as one in all 13 new monitored swimming areas throughout the nation.

The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a brand new river bathing water after campaigners gathered proof to point out hundreds of individuals use the river for swimming all year long.

Marlene Lawrence, the founding father of the Teddington Bluetits, which has greater than 2,000 members, put within the bathing water software alongside her colleagues. “This would be amazing for the river and for the many people who enjoy it,” she stated. “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.”

The designation may show troublesome for Thames Water, which is trying to drive by way of a water recycling scheme to attract off tens of thousands and thousands of litres of water a day from the Thames close to the proposed bathing water space and change it with handled effluent from the big Mogden sewage works in west London to assist sort out water shortages.

The company first suggested the plan in 2019 and the Environment Agency rejected it because of the anticipated negative impact on the environment of releasing millions of litres of treated effluent into the river.

Other waterway locations shortlisted to be designated as bathing water areas include a tidal inlet just off the River Yealm in the south Devon; part of the River Fowey in Lostwithiel, Cornwall; the River Dee at Sandy Lane, Chester; a sea swimming area at Little Shore, Amble, in Northumberland; Pangbourne Meadow in Berkshire, which inspired the novel The Wind in the Willows; and the River Swale in Richmond, Yorkshire.

Campaigners began fighting for bathing water status for rivers six years ago under the EU-derived bathing water directive. Rivers are suffering from a toxic cocktail of sewage discharge from water companies, forever chemicals and road and agricultural runoff.

Bathing water status requires more rigorous testing by the regulator, the Environment Agency, which is required to monitor the water for faecal indicator organisms. Water companies have come under pressure to cut sewage pollution in areas that have been designated as bathing water sites.

At Ilkley in West Yorkshire, where the Wharfe became the first river to be given bathing water status, Yorkshire Water is implementing more than £85m in infrastructure improvements to boost water quality.

Save our Swale, the local campaign group that submitted the application for the River Swale in Yorkshire, said bathers had used the river at Richmond Falls for decades but it had been polluted by several water company sewage spills from storm overflows.

Deborah Meara, the chair of Save our Swale, said, “Getting this far has involved a lot of hard work by our volunteer team, and we are grateful for all the hours, often spent in pouring rain, sampling at our test sites up and down the Swale.

“If SOS does finally achieve designated bathing water status, it will be an important benefit to the community, as the location is used by hundreds of people in the summer months and they deserve to bathe in their local river without risk from raw sewage pollution.”

Local communities are being invited to have their say on the proposals for the 13 websites in a six-week public session.

Emma Hardy, the water and flooding minister, stated: “Rivers and beaches are at the heart of so many communities – where people come together, families make memories, and swimmers of all ages feel the benefits of being outdoors safely. Our plans to designate new bathing water sites show how we are backing local ambition and recognising the pride in places that matter most to people.”

The new designations would enhance the variety of designated bathing water areas to 464.

Head of campaigns at River Action, Amy Fairman, stated, “We welcome efforts to classify more of the UK’s waterways as bathing sites, as this means they will be monitored seasonally for pollution.”

But she stated water high quality in all however two of England’s 14 designated inland bathing websites have been rated poor. “This is a national embarrassment, especially when France has over 1,200 inland bathing sites with most rated excellent.

“Until water companies are restructured to put people, nature and society ahead of profit, agricultural pollution is properly tackled, and the chemical cocktail choking our waterways is curbed, our rivers will remain among the dirtiest in Europe.”

The websites underneath session 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