Greater London Authority

02/04/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/04/2025 04:00

Cutting pollution in London’s waterways

Created on
04 February 2025

Cutting pollution in London's waterways

The Mayor stated in his manifesto ahead of the May 2024 election that he will "launch an ambitious plan to make rivers in London swimmable within ten years." [1]

Thames Water is responsible for the drainage and wastewater across London and the surrounding area. In its submission to the Committee, they state that in the River Thames Basin, water companies are responsible for around a third of reasons why rivers do not achieve 'good' status in the Water Framework Directive.

Much of central London has combined sewer and surface water drains, which are particularly vulnerable to releasing sewage into water bodies during heavy rain. Pollution can also be caused by misconnected pipes and damage to sewers or blockages. Thames Water set a target of reducing the number of pollution incidents by 30 per cent by 2025. [2]

Tomorrow, the London Assembly Environment Committee will continue its investigation into the Mayor's 'swimmable rivers' manifesto commitment, specifically what are the biggest priorities for improving the water quality in London's rivers, what are the biggest challenges in funding improvements to local rivers, and estimates of what the overall commitment may cost.

The guests are:

Panel 1

  • James Wallace, Chief Executive, River Action
  • Alex Nickson, Director for Environmental Compliance and Partnerships, Thames Water
  • Rob Gray, Chair and Director, Crane Valley CIC / Friends of the River Crane (FORCE)
  • Ros Daniels, Director, London and South East Region, Canal and Rivers Trust

Panel 2

  • Mete Coban MBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy
  • Sam Longman, Head of Sustainability an Corporate Environment, Transport for London (TfL)
  • Abby Crisostomo, Head of Green Infrastructure, Greater London Authority (GLA)
  • Pete Daw, Head of Climate Change, GLA

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 5 February 2025 from 10am in Committee Rooms 2&3 at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.

Media and members of the public are invited to attend.

The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.

Follow us @LondonAssembly.

Notes to editors

  1. Sadiq Khan, Making London Greener, Manifesto for May 2024 election
  2. Pollution incident reduction | Regulation | About us | Thames Water
  3. Zack Polanski AM,Chair of the Environment Committee, is available for interview.
  4. Find out more about the work of the Environment Committee.
  5. Read the agenda in full.
  6. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

For more information, please contact Tony Smyth in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 251727 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.