In the Media
A selection of recent media coverage of our work:
15 May 2024
New wild swimming spots won’t make our rivers and waters any less disgusting
The Independent Online
The largest ever expansion of designated swimming areas should be brilliant news – but if there’s no guarantee they won’t be as filthy as our sewage-filled seas, Helen Coffey sees little cause for celebration.
15 May 2024
Oxfordshire: Wallingford reacts to bathing water status
Oxford Mail
An Oxfordshire MP says the new bathing status granted for Wallingford Beach will help ensure the River Thames is ‘safe and healthy’ for people to enjoy.
13 May 2024
New wild swimming sites get the go ahead, but no guarantee they are clean
The Telegraph Online
New wild swimming sites will be monitored for sewage in a major expansion of bathing locations – but this doesn’t guarantee cleanliness.
13 May 2024
New swimming sites for England but are they clean?
BBC Online
England will get dozens of new monitored bathing sites, the government said on Monday, in the largest ever expansion of wild swimming areas. Twenty-seven new locations, most of them on rivers, have been designated, which means summer pollution testing.
1 May 2024
Debate: Road runoff – Tackling pollution
New Civil Engineer (NCE)
The environmental movement which developed in the late 20th century secured a widespread understanding of pollution, such as the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate. It has also ensured pollution is a consistent item on the political agenda.
15 April 2024
£10,000 for second bathing water bid
Henley Standard
A total of £10,000 will be spent on a fresh bid for bathing water status in a section of river in Mill Meadows, Henley. The town council has said it will support a new application to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs after the first bid was rejected in February because the number of swimmers needed to qualify was deemed too low.
25 March 2024
River Cherwell is ‘not healthy’ – Banbury area volunteers test water over a year with worrying results
Banbury Guardian
The River Cherwell is ‘not healthy’ according to results after a year’s water testing by Banbury area volunteers. And agriculture is probably a greater problem than sewage.
10 March 2024
Wallingford Beach could soon be granted bathing water status
BBC Online
Wallingford Beach in Oxfordshire has moved a step closer to becoming a designated bathing site. Last year, charity Thames21 applied for the beach to be granted bathing water status.
9 March 2024
Wallingford Beach bathing water status efforts move forward
Oxford Mail
Wallingford Beach has reached the next stage of its application for designated bathing water status, with DEFRA launching a public consultation on the matter.
14 February 2024
No wet wipes should be flushed down the loo after all, water industry says
Sky News
Eco-friendly wet wipes should not be branded okay to flush down the toilet after all, Britain’s water industry has said.
12 February 2024
London’s new ‘super sewer’ to begin tests in summer
BBC Online
London’s new “super sewer” – or the Thames Tideway Tunnel, as it is officially known – will begin testing in the summer, the company behind it has said.
26 January 2024
99 bags of litter removed from London stream including e-bikes, carpets and tonnes of plastic
My London
A team of volunteers have pulled nearly 100 bags of litter from a London river as part of a project to reduce the risk of flooding in the area. Done to stop the waste entering the reservoir, the team has so far pulled out an assortment of discarded items including e-bikes, carpets, and plastic waste.
24 January 2024
Mayor calls out ‘scandalous’ five-fold increase in sewage dumped into London’s rivers
London City Hall
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has today revealed shocking new analysis showing that between April and December 2023, Thames Water released sewage into London’s waterways for 6,590 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds – a five-fold increase on the same period the previous year.
30 December 2023
Oxfordshire: Sewage discharged for thousands of hours
Oxford Mail
Some 1,861 hours of discharges of raw sewage were reported from Oxford sewage treatment works. And 16,000 hours of discharges were recorded from West Oxfordshire sewage operations upstream of Oxford in what campaigners described as “a deluge” of pollution.
20 December 2023
Park in Edgware prepares for diggers to arrive to move Silk Stream channel
Harrow Online
Harrow Council is set to kick off the “Action for Silk Stream” initiative with a River Action Day at Chandos Park. Scheduled for tomorrow (21 December), the event aims to prepare the site for the arrival of diggers in the spring, which will be used to move the channel of the Silk Stream. The project is part of a broader, six-year flood resilience initiative launched in 2021.
11 December 2023
Glassmill Pond and River Ravensbourne improvement project completed
London Borough of Bromley Council
Waterways for fish and other wildlife are being improved as part of a project to separate Glassmill Pond and the River Ravensbourne in Bromley. Environmental charity Thames21 is being thanked for its work with partners to achieve this successful outcome, which also included desilting works on Glassmill Pond.
1 December 2023
Wolvercote Mill Stream rated ‘poor’ for third year in a row
Oxford Mail
On December 1, the Environment Agency said there was the presence of harmful bacteria in the water. This river, one of only two “designated bathing status” rivers in the UK, must achieve at least ‘sufficient’ status before 2027 to prevent its de-designation and the cessation of testing.
7 November 2023
Raw sewage discharged in Thames again after Storm Ciarán
BBC Online
Sewage has been discharged in Oxfordshire’s rivers once more following Storm Ciarán’s heavy rain. Thames Water confirmed that “overflows” were “currently discharging” into the River Thames because of the effects of the storm.
1 November 2023
Thames 21 double bid for bathing water status in Oxfordshire
Oxford Mail
An environmental charity has submitted two applications to the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in a bid to obtain bathing water designations for Wallingford Beach and Mill Meadows in Henley.
31 October 2023
Flood warnings map: Where ‘danger to life’ alerts have been issued as Storm Ciarán approaches
iNews
Flood warnings are in place across swathes of the country as Britain prepares for Storm Ciarán, with fears that it is likely to bring “disaster” to our rivers.
18 October 2023
London pollution: Maps shows worst areas for road run-off pollution
BBC Online
A new online map has been created to show where contaminated rain water from roads is polluting rivers in London. Environmental charity Thames21 has launched the site to help local authorities, as well as local communities, identify problem areas.
4 October 2023
Clean rivers campaigner praises citizen scientists
Henley Standard
About 40 people celebrated the work of citizen scientists at an event at the River & Rowing Museum in Henley. They also took part in a water quality testing session with a woman who is walking from the source of the River Thames to the sea and had stopped off specially.
1 October 2023
Volunteers count wet wipes on bank of River Thames
BBC Online
Hoards of wet wipes have been counted and removed from a section of the Thames in west London as part of a charity research project. Volunteers gathered at Hammersmith Bridge on Sunday for the Big Wet Wipe Count, organised by Thames21.
26 September 2023
Volunteers needed to assess wet wipe ‘island’ in River Thames
The Chiswick Calendar
Thames21, the charity dedicated to enhancing London’s waterways, is once again extending an invitation to resilient volunteers to roll up their sleeves to asses the wet wipe mound accumulating near Hammersmith Bridge in the River Thames.
20 September 2023
WI supports campaign against pollution of our rivers
Henley Standard
About 25 people joined the women at their stall in The Arcade in Goring on Saturday to raise awareness of the National Federation of WIs’ Clean Rivers campaign run in conjunction with the charity River Action UK.
4 September 2023
Ashden Awards finalists announced – UK pioneers tackling urgent climate change
Local Authority Building & Maintenance
Climate charity Ashden has revealed the finalists for its 2023 awards — pioneers delivering an inclusive, sustainable future.
11 August 2023
Cigarette butts are killing animals and polluting waters in the UK
International Business Time
Cigarette butts are one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution in the UK, with the number of cigarette butts being found in rivers exceeding the amount of plastic litter.
6 August 2023
Trustee Dr Michelle Yaa Asantewa appears on Sunday Morning Live
BBC
Asantewa appeared on BBC’s Sunday Morning Live discussing our Mama Osun/Thames21 annual team up.
17 June 2023
How you can help save Britain’s rivers by becoming a citizen scientist
New Scientist Online
As part of New Scientist’s Save Britain’s Rivers campaign, we’ve rounded up the most interesting citizen science projects that share our ambitions to protect and restore these vital waters. Here’s how you can help.
27 May 2023
Rivers Week keeps water pressure high for climate change
Inside Croydon
Policymakers, water companies, businesses, industry and the public in London will all need to work together help to protect London’s rivers in order for them to be better prepared to tackle the impacts of droughts and floods brought on by the climate crisis, the organisers of London Rivers Week have said today.
18 May 2023
River Rom clean-up part of effort to tackle ‘foul water’ problem
Romford Recorder
A clean-up of the River Rom is seeking to address some of the critical problems in local waterways.
15 May 2023
A new life for London’s lost rivers
BBC Online
Few visitors know that London has 640km of waterways – and there’s a serious movement taking place to restore these “blue corridors” to their former glory.
04 April 2023
What is the wet wipe ban? Government plans to tackle water pollution
Evening Standard
Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned in England under plans to tackle water pollution, caused by them being flushed down the lavatory.
10 March 2023
Statement after Defra rejects Wallingford application to be designated as bathing water
South Oxfordshire District Council
We’re extremely disappointed at the government’s decision to not award Bathing Water Status for the River Thames at Wallingford at this stage.
31 January 2023
New coalition launched to boost community action on plastic pollution
London Post
Environmental charity Thames21 has launched a unique initiative called Plastics Action which will help to upscale the development of grassroots community groups to take action to tackle plastic pollution in rivers across England.
13 January 2023
Ramping nature-based solutions in North London
Envirotec
A North London flood resilience project has unveiled a new identity and announced plans to use nature-based solutions to tackle flood risk around the Silk Stream – a 2.5-mile tributary of the River Brent.
12 December 2022
This Is The Grim Reality Of What’s Actually Floating In The Thames
HuffPost (UK)
A new study has revealed what is lurking in the waters of the Thames and frankly, it’s pretty grim.
25 November 2022
Water companies call for a ban on wet wipes
The Times Online
The government must ban the sale of wet wipes, several of the UK’s biggest water companies have said, claiming it would help solve the dumping of sewage in rivers.
17 November 2022
North London project plans to ramp up nature-based solutions to tackle flood risk
London Post
A North London flood resilience project has unveiled a new identity and announced plans to use nature-based solutions to tackle flood risk around the Silk Stream – a 2.5-mile tributary of the River Brent.
15 November 2022
Only official bathing spot on Thames fails tests for bacteria linked to sewage
The Guardian Online
The only official bathing water area on the River Thames has failed tests for bacteria associated with sewage pollution, data shows.
04 November 2022
25 October 2022
18 October 2022
We’re number one: The Thames has more microplastics than any other river in the world!
Time Out London
London is literally swimming in a sea of rubbish. In more bad news for the capital, the watery jewel in London’s crown, the Thames, reportedly contains more microplastics than any river in the world. Uh oh.
18 October 2022
Beneath the surface of the Thames lies a graveyard of plastic waste
BBC News
We are on the foreshore of the Thames at low tide in Fulham, right next to Fulham FC’s home, Craven Cottage. The water has gone out very quickly and left behind a very dirty secret. Plastic.
11 October 2022
Time to wipe out wet wipes from our rivers says Thames21
Inside Croydon
The government needs to ban plastic in wet wipes immediately in order to help tackle this sewage-based pollution ending up in the River Thames, environmental charity Thames21 has urged today.
22 September 2022
Thames21 launches new Five Year Plan with call for increased collaborative action to get rivers ‘climate-ready’ by boosting nature-based solutions
London TV
Thames21 has announced plans to ramp up its efforts to work with communities and river stakeholders to help develop nature-based solutions in order for the River Thames and its tributaries to be better prepared to tackle the impacts of droughts and floods brought on by the climate crisis.
16 September 2022
Charity launches a blitz on plastic in Thames and its tributaries
Inside Croydon
Volunteers will take part in the biggest community clean-up of plastic in the River Thames and its tributaries, including the River Wandle, over the next month.
08 August 2022
Wild thing! Inside the mission to rewild London
Evening Standard
Beavers, voles and acres of new wild flower meadows — the capital’s rewilding revolution has truly begun.
18 July 2022
Council to apply for bathing water status in Wallingford
The Herald Series
An application to achieve bathing water status in Wallingford is due to be submitted in October this year.
12 July 2022
Conservation groups lead call to stop polluting London’s rivers
Inside Croydon
All stakeholders in London need to improve their actions on tackling pollution that ends up in the capital’s rivers and work together to promote climate-resilient river “rewilding” projects.
26 May 2022
Enfield Woodland project wins a top industry award
Parikiaki
The Enfield Chase Woodland Restoration Project has taken one of the top honours at this year’s London Tree and Woodland Awards.
06 May 2022
Wild swimmers told: You’ll have to take the plunge first before dirty rivers are cleaned up
The Telegraph
Backlash after minister suggests onus is on public to prove they are already bathing in polluted waterways before the problem can be tackled.
06 May 2022
What’s deep down in the River Thames
Greatest Hits Radio
A deep dive into the River Thames reveals what’s been discovered under its surface.
06 May 2022
Restoring the Roding
South Woodford Village Gazette
The Thames21 project is making improvements to the River Roding adjacent to Wanstead Park.
12 April 2022
Bathing water status given to Oxford river and sea off East Cowes
BBC News
Wolvercote Mill Stream at Port Meadow, Oxford, and the sea off East Cowes Esplanade on the Isle of Wight will be checked to ensure they are safe for swimming.
12 April 2022
River in Oxford becomes second in England to achieve bathing water status
The Telegraph
The Wolvercote Mill Stream will be regularly monitored for harmful bacterial levels during the swimming season between May and September
12 April 2022
Port Meadow becomes UK’s second river site to gain bathing status
Envirotec
A stretch of the River Thames at Port Meadow, Oxford, has been designated as an official river bathing location after a nearly two-year long local battle against sewage pollution.
10 February 2022
Second river swimming site in the UK up for consultation in Oxford – have your say
Outdoor Swimmer
10 February 2022
Oxford locals could soon swim in part of River Thames polluted by sewage
The Telegraph
2021