Local campaign group, Save our Lands and River (SOLAR), which is advocating against Thames Water's Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project – locally known as the sewage dump – has invited the  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy MP, to Teddington.

The invitation follows the MP's announcement on Friday, 13 February that the Thames at Kingston and Ham has been designated as London's first ever bathing spot.

It also follows Thames Water's attempt 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.

In a letter to Emma Hardy MP, SOLAR's leader, Ian McNuff, writes: "Your two recent announcements have exposed fundamental flaws in Thames Water's proposed scheme that make stopping it more urgent than ever. 

On 3 February, you announced the first plan to protect against PFAS 'forever chemicals', stating that "acting now is essential to prevent irreversible harm."

"On 13 February, you designated Kingston and Ham as London's new bathing water site, recognising "the pride in places that matter most to people." These decisions reveal two critical conflicts: 

"Location absurdity: Of 692,000 metres of Thames riverbank, Thames Water somehow selected a site directly adjacent to London's new bathing location. When families visit, they'll picnic on the very green space Thames Water plans to board up as a building site for years. The scheme will then pump treated sewage on average for 45 days each summer—exactly when thousands will be swimming and gathering there. Their "Best Value" model, already criticised by Sir Jon Cunliffe, clearly doesn't account for this. 

"PFAS failure: Thames Water's published treatment levels won't address PFAS contamination. A scheme going live in 7 years and operating for 80 more is being designed to yesterday's standards. They promised to publish pilot treatment results many times —they haven't. Their Gate 3 submission to RAPID shows treatment based on the current Hogsmill sewage works permit, which doesn't cover PFAS. This guarantees a costly retrofit in 10 years, with the public paying twice for a scheme that's inadequate now.  

advertisement

"One final reality check: the scheme operates on average 45 days annually, producing 3.2 billion litres if problem-free. In the first 45 days of 2026, 300 times that volume has already flowed over Teddington Weir and has been washed out to sea.

"Our invitation for you to visit Teddington stands. We'd value the chance to show you this emerging problem firsthand and understand how these policies align with approving this scheme."

People enjoy using the Thames at Teddington for swimming and watersports (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Speaking about the MP's two February announcements, SOLAR said: "Emma Hardy's 3 February announcement laid out the first plan to protect the public from PFAS "forever chemicals, 'stressing that "acting now is essential to prevent irreversible harm.'

"Yet Thames Water's published TDRA treatment plans do not remove PFAS to modern standards. Their own documents show they are designing a system based on the existing Hogsmill permit, which doesn't address PFAS at all.

"This means an inevitable, expensive retrofit within a decade, with the public paying twice for a system that is already outdated."

It added: "On 13 February, Emma Hardy designated Kingston and Ham as a new official bathing water site, celebrating the pride people take in places that matter. Yet Thames Water has chosen, out of 692,000 metres of riverbank, a construction and discharge location directly beside this new family swimming area. If built, the TDRA would:

• Board up Burnell green space for years
• Discharge treated sewage for around 45 days each summer, exactly when thousands will be swimming and gathering along the river

"It is hard to imagine a location choice more at odds with recent government policy."

advertisement

SOLAR is also hosting a pre-launch event, open to anyone, for its E-petition against the TDRA at 6.30pm on 3 March at The Wharf.

Speaking about the event, SOLAR said: "This will be an important moment for the campaign, where we'll share our draft plans for the petition, invite you to help shape how we take this forward, and provide updates in a live Q&A session.

"It's a chance for all of us to come together, build momentum, and prepare for the next major push in challenging the Thames Sewage Pump scheme."