FROM THE WATER QUALITY on the Thames being declared 'biologically dead' in the 1950s it is now to have dedicated bathing sites.
And being a place of national pride, Janet Friend reports.
Vast transformation
The proposals include the first ever designated bathing spots on the river river in Ham, Kingston, and Pangbourne Meadow, owing to a vast transformation in water quality.
Water Minister Emma Hardy announced on Monday:
"After years of indifference towards bathing waters and very few sites designated throughout the 2010s, this Government has taken swift action to expand the number of bathing sites across the country and support water quality, with four in five bathing sites being rated as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
The efforts of Thames21, its volunteers and partners made the proposal for Pangbourne Meadows possible. We are incredibly grateful to the dedicated citizen scientists for their hard work and commitment—we simply couldn’t have achieved it without them. We also extend our sincere thanks to all the individuals, councils and organisations who supported our application.
Tackling plastic pollution
Signed into law, a ban on the sale of plastic wet wipes and other commodities marks a major step forward in tackling plastic pollution which devastates our waterways.
It is not as yet known how this will affect boaters emptying waste liquids into the water, only that stronger inspection powers, including the new regulator able to conduct ‘no notice’ inspections will be made.