A controversial plan to raid the Thames for an extra 75 million litres of water a day is vital to ensure the taps do not run dry, according to Thames Water.

The company is planning to take the water from the river about 300m upstream from Teddington and replace it with treated effluent from the Mogden sewage works.

The scheme has raised objections from thousands of residents amid fears it will change the chemical make-up and temperature of the Thames, so harming plant, insect, fish and bird life.

Following pressure from MPs, residents and Richmond Council, Thames Water is to hold extra public consultation events next week.

Nevil Muncaster, Strategic Resources Director at Thames Water, defended the company's approach saying: "We know local customers have many questions about the proposed new water supply scheme at Teddington. We want to reassure them that the proposed scheme isn't any different to the normal water supply system and is designed to safeguard the river's water quality.

"The scheme will work by putting highly treated recycled water from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works, through an additional stage of treatment. This would ensure we protect the river's water quality and would also compensate for the additional water abstracted during a drought.

"We're in the very early stages of consultation and design and are pleased to be hosting these additional events to answer customer questions on the draft plan and how the scheme would work.

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"It's critical that we secure our water supply for future generations, which includes building new water resources infrastructure.

"We want to hear from local communities, customers and businesses to ensure a wide range of views are reflected in our consultation, whilst ensuring everyone can find out more information about the plans." 

The aim of the multi-million pound scheme is to take the river water from the Thames and send it under the capital through existing tunnels to reservoirs and then customers to the east of London to ensure the taps do not run dry.

This water would be replaced with treated effluent from Mogden, which would be transported to the Thames close to Teddington Weir through a new 15km pipeline.

Local MPs, Munira Wilson and Sarah Olney, said Thames Water would be far better concentrating on reducing the astonishing 635 million litres of water lost through leaks in its pipes every day – a quarter of all supplies.

Critics also fear that Thames Water, which has a shocking record of failure in terms of dealing with water mains bursts and pollution, can be trusted. Nub News recently revealed the firm has been fined by Richmond Council 350 times in the past four years around failurse to deal with the repairs of water mains bursts in a timely manner.

The company said it is looking at a number of schemes to boost water resources, which includes tackling leaks and building a vast new reservoir in the Oxfordshire countryside.

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It said: "Substantial water shortages face the whole of the South East of England. The extreme heat and lack of water that was experienced as recently as last summer is a clear indication of climate emergency first-hand and the trend for hot, dry summers is set to continue. 

"Alongside this, the predicted regional water demand is set to increase, with the number of people living and working in London and the Thames Valley forecast to grow significantly. 

"Across the region more than 1,400 options have been considered to plug the shortfall between the amount of water likely to be available in the region and the amount of water needed in future. Each option was assessed on water output, impact on the environment, carbon budget, delivery timeline and the ability to support and alleviate the future demand for water."

Detail of the scheme and how to comment on it can be found here - https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/

Thames Water is holding two additional community information events –

* An online webinar and Q&A will take place on February 27 between 7pm – 8:30pm. Register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thames-water-webinar-and-qa-teddington-direct-river-abstraction-tickets-542933036327

* A public even will be held at the Council's head office, York House, Twickenham on March 3 - 2pm – 8pm. Register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thames-water-community-information-event-at-york-house-tickets-542911953267