In recent weeks, Emma Hardy MP, who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Water and Flooding, has made two significant national announcements, both of which expose serious contradictions at the heart of Thames Water’s Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) proposal. As SOLAR we have written to her to help set these out as well as show her that, the Teddington DRA is now, more than ever, an absurd scheme that should be scrapped. You can read our letter here or join us at our pre-launch event on 3rd March (see below) to find out more.
1. A New National PFAS Action Plan… While TDRA Ignores PFAS Risks
Emma Hardy’s 3 February announcement laid out the first plan to protect the public from PFAS “forever chemicals,” stressing that “acting now is essential to prevent irreversible harm.” Yet Thames Water’s published TDRA treatment plans do not remove PFAS to modern standards. Their own documents show they are designing a system based on the existing Hogsmill permit, which doesn’t address PFAS at all.
This means an inevitable, expensive retrofit within a decade, with the public paying twice for a system that is already outdated.
2. A New Bathing Water Site… Located Next to the TDRA Construction Zone
On 13 February, Emma Hardy designated Kingston and Ham as a new official bathing water site, celebrating the pride people take in places that matter. Yet Thames Water has chosen, out of 692,000 metres of riverbank, a construction and discharge location directly beside this new family swimming area. If built, the TDRA would:
- Board up Burnell green space for years
- Discharge treated sewage for around 45 days each summer, exactly when thousands will be swimming and gathering along the river
It is hard to imagine a location choice more at odds with recent government policy.
3. A Reality Check on “Need”
In the first 45 days of 2026 alone, 300 times more water than the TDRA can produce in a year has flowed over Teddington Weir and out to sea. The scale of river water available naturally exposes how marginal, and unnecessary, TDRA’s output truly is.
We Have Invited Emma Hardy to Visit Teddington
We have invited Emma Hardy to see the situation firsthand. With new national policies emphasising PFAS protection and rivers as valued public spaces, this scheme is now even harder to justify.
Join Us on 3rd March – Pre‑Launch Event for the E‑Petition
Finally and importantly, we’re really looking forward to seeing many of you at our 3rd March 2026 pre‑launch event for the E‑petition, taking place at 6.30pm at The Wharf, 22 Manor Road, Teddington. This will be an important moment for the campaign, where we’ll share our draft plans for the petition, invite you to help shape how we take this forward, and provide updates in a live Q&A session. It’s a chance for all of us to come together, build momentum, and prepare for the next major push in challenging the Thames Sewage Pump scheme.