London Assembly launches Swimmable Rivers report

There are good intentions but the issues are complex

On Friday, 19 September, Zack Polanski and other members of the London Assembly Environment Committee gathered by the Thames in Ham to launch their report “Swimmable rivers: Towards clean and healthy waterways in London”.

The location was well-chosen. It is a spot used regularly by the Teddington Bluetits and other swimming groups. Local swimmers are running a campaign to get the location designated as a bathing water. Marlene Lawrence, founder of the local Bluetits group, refers to it as ”Costa del Ham” as the area is so popular with families in the summer for picnicking, paddle boarding and kayaking as well as swimming.

Value of swimming

In a brief speech to assembled swimmers, Zack said that while he wasn’t much of a swimmer himself (and declined the invitation to swim), he recognised the value of swimming – including health, wellbeing and social benefits – and the importance of creating safe and accessible swimming locations.

The report itself calls for designating four new sites as bathing waters by 2028 and a further six by 2034 (Recommendation 10). In addition, Recommendation 11 says that the Mayor’s clean and healthy waterways plan should “support water safety courses and free opportunities to learn to swim or gain confidence in open water.”

Complex issue

The report also recognises the issues are complex. Rivers are subject to multiple sources of pollution, including road run-off and misconnections, which means sewage can enter the river directly. Cleaning them up requires coordination among multiple stakeholders and significant investment.

Moreover, the Port of London Authority has significant reservations about swimming in the tidal Thames, pointing out that there are strong currents, obstacles and boat traffic. There are concerns that encouraging swimming could lead to more deaths or accidents, especially in unsupervised or unsuitable locations.

First step

The report is significant in recognising the importance of ensuring our waterways are clean and healthy, and that swimming is a legitimate and worthwhile activity to support. But it’s also apparent that an enormous amount of work needs to be done. It’s unlikely swimmers will ever get the green light to swim wherever they like in the city, but if even some of the steps recommended in this report are implemented, it should make London more swimmable than it is today.

In the meantime, if you want to support the campaign for bathing water status in Ham, please complete the campaign group’s brief consultation.

Ham and Kingston Bathing Water Designation Consultation