Thames Water has quietly expanded its proposed Teddington scheme and it’s now far bigger, longer, and more damaging than first presented. The latest plans include: Read our press release on the changes here. It’s important to remember, this expansion of destruction comes at a time when this stretch of the Thames has been recognised as …
1st May 2026 is a critical milestone in the Save Our Lands and River (SOLAR) campaign as our parliamentary e-petition was been formally published. We now have an opportunity to demand national change and stop harmful, outdated sewage schemes like the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) once and for all. We need your signature, and …
We were delighted to see that the Government has officially announced that a stretch of the River Thames at Ham and Kingston is being designated for Public Bathing Status. This is a historic milestone. If approved, this would become the first-ever official river bathing site in London. What This Means for Us Designation isn’t just …
Ham and Kingston Proposed for Official Bathing Status! Read More »
In the final weeks of 2025, as local communities awaited detailed feedback from Thames Water’s recent statutory consultation, the Save Our Lands and River (SOLAR) campaign shifted its focus to the highest levels of government. The campaign’s efforts are now centered on ensuring DEFRA are fully appraised of the risks and public opposition surrounding the …
SOLAR CHALLENGES THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS. Read More »
Before the summer break, Thames Water was actively running “Debate Mate with Thames Water” workshops in local schools, youth clubs, and universities, focusing on the controversial TDRA (Thames Direct River Abstraction which we call the Thames Sewage Pump). While positioning this outreach as an educational community initiative, the water company’s actions raised serious alarms about …
Thames Water’s Secret Classroom: What Did They Teach Our Kids? Read More »
Throughout July and August we saw and experienced an overwhelming and resounding ‘No to the Thames Sewage Pump’. Whilst many responses went directly, SOLAR gathered and handed in over 7,500 postcards, all rejecting the TDRA scheme. . Alongside the postcards were countless letters and detailed rejections sent directly to Thames Water, demonstrates the depth of …
As Save Our Lands and River we submitted our official response to Thames Water’s Statutory Consultation on the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project – known to us as the Thames Sewage Pump. SOLAR’s detailed response outlines why this project must be stopped. TDRA is a poor-value, ecologically damaging scheme that ignores greener, more sustainable …
SOLAR SUBMITS ITS RESPONSE TO THE STATUTORY CONSULTATION Read More »
Over the last few weeks another Thames Water letter has been landing on door mats, some on houses that are now well versed with the Teddington DRA proposals, others who are hearing about how the scheme affects them for the first time. As a result, here at SOLAR we have had lot of emails from …
SOLAR’s involvement in November’s March for Clean Water in Central London was highlighted in the recent Ham and Petersham Magazine. At the march, thousands of people gathered on the embankment and walked to Parliament Square to call for the (new) Government to step in to provide stronger regulation and guidelines on what a environmentally, sustainable …
The October 2024 round of community events from Thames Water is an attempt to show how the removal of a number of shafts now means that they had listened to the key concerns and have a scheme which should be supportable. As SOLAR this attempted slight of hand fails to address many of our longstanding …
A REDUCTION IN SHAFTS BUT SERIOUS QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED Read More »
