British retired rower, Sir Steve Redgrave, is backing local campaign group Save our Lands and River's (SOLAR) protest against Thames Water's Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project.

In a video on Instagram, Sir Redgrave said: "Thames Water are planning to build a new pipeline to pump in treated sewage into the River Thames. We should not be allowing this to happen.

"In 2025, we should be making our rivers cleaner, not putting pipelines in to make them dirtier."

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "Local communities have our absolute assurance that no sewage will enter the River Thames through our Teddington Direct River Abstraction Project (TDRA). It is physically impossible by design. 

"This nationally significant infrastructure project will work by abstracting water from the River Thames upstream of Teddington Weir and transferring it to our existing Lee Valley reservoirs to become drinking water, keeping the taps flowing for millions of Londoners during drought. We'll replenish the river with clean highly treated water, protecting river levels and the local environment. Residents also have our absolute assurance that this project will not negatively impact river quality. 

"Community feedback remains at the heart of our plans, and we look forward to speaking with and listening to local people during our consultation events this summer, with details due to be released in the coming weeks. You can find out more about the project by visiting our website."

On Saturday, 28 June, SOLAR is hosting a protest to "tell the Government that we reject TDRA because it is environmentally damaging and there are much better alternatives".

The protest will run from 10.45am – 2pm on Burnell Avenue's Green Space in Kingston.

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You can find out more about the event here.