For years, the Save Our Lands and River (SOLAR) campaign has stood firm against outdated wastewater plans, and today marks a monumental step in our fight. Our parliamentary e-petition has been formally published, giving us the power to demand change at the highest level, but only with your support. Our petition asks the UK Government to: Ensure new sewage treatment infrastructure meets higher standards, as in the EU.
This national ask is the most effective way to stop damaging local schemes like the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) and protect all UK water bodies for future generations.
The Clear Ask: Why Your Signature is Critical
We urge the government to review regulations for new sewage treatment infrastructure and introduce new legislation to ensure high international standards are met. This is essential to safeguard public health, better protect all water bodies, and reduce damaging long-term impacts.
Currently, proposed new schemes are being built to outdated standards. This means they will continue releasing biological and chemical contaminants, including harmful forever chemicals, into our rivers, harming wildlife and public health.
Worse, these outdated projects risk a dramatic increase in your water bills to pay for expensive and avoidable upgrades that will inevitably be needed in the future. We are demanding all new wastewater infrastructure must be built to higher, well-established international standards, specifically aligning with the revised EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) standards in force since January 1, 2025.
I signed the Change.org petition, do I need to do this as well
If you have already signed our Change.org petition, you may wonder why we are now asking you to sign the official Government parliamentary petition as well. While Change.org is a fantastic tool for building public awareness, only the parliamentary petition carries the legal weight to mandate a formal government response or trigger a debate in the House of Commons. To understand the crucial differences between these two platforms and why your signature on both is essential for our campaign’s success, please read more here
Your Action is the Key
This petition directly addresses the legislative loophole that allows schemes like the TDRA to move forward with inadequate standards. It is our chance to secure a parliamentary debate and force a permanent change in national policy.
We need 100,000 signatures to secure a debate in Parliament. We cannot achieve this without every member of the SOLAR community getting behind this effort.
- Sign the petition now: by clicking here
- Spread the word: Once you sign, please encourage your friends, family, and local community groups to do the same. We have included a message you can copy and paste into neighbourhood WhatsApp and email groups below.
URGENT: Our National River Protection Petition is LIVE!
The battle to save the Thames and all UK waters is going straight to Parliament, but we need your help to make history. We've launched the national e-petition titled: "Ensure new sewage treatment infrastructure meets higher standards, as in the EU."
This is our chance to stop outdated schemes that pump toxic "forever chemicals" into our rivers and risk massive, avoidable increases to your water bills. We must hit 100,000 signatures to secure a debate and force a change in national law. Please take 30 seconds to sign and then forward this to all your friends, family, and local community WhatsApp groups!
Sign the Petition Here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763721