Thames to gain recognised swimming area in London

This week ministers proposed a recognised river swimming area on the Thames at Ham and Kingston, a move that would bring routine water-quality monitoring to a stretch of river long used by swimmers in south-west London.

If approved, the designation would require regular testing during the bathing season and public reporting of results. The change would increase the total number of officially monitored swimming areas in England to 464.

For Londoners, the proposal marks a notable shift. The Thames was declared biologically dead in the 1950s after decades of industrial discharge. Its recovery has been gradual, driven by investment in sewage treatment and tighter environmental standards. Formal monitoring at Ham and Kingston would signal confidence that this part of the river can safely support open-water swimming.

The Environment Department says 87 per cent of England’s designated swimming waters were rated good or excellent last year, while 7 per cent failed to meet minimum standards. Monitoring allows authorities to track pollution levels and issue advice where necessary. Details of how sites are classified and assessed are set out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on bathing water standards.

For those travelling beyond the capital, 12 other locations have been put forward across England. Among them are East Beach at West Bay in Dorset, known as the setting for the television drama Broadchurch; Pangbourne Meadow in Berkshire, associated with Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows; and the River Swale in North Yorkshire, where limestone steps create a series of natural cascades popular with wild swimmers.

Each proposed location would become a recognised river swimming area on the Thames model only in principle, with regular sampling and public grading during the official season. Campaigners in several areas have argued that formal status increases accountability for water companies and regulators.

Back in south-west London, swimmers at Ham and Kingston have long gathered near the towpath where the river widens and currents slow. Richmond Park lies upstream; Kingston Bridge marks the urban edge. The stretch has featured in local outdoor swimming groups for years, though without official monitoring.

If the proposal proceeds, the recognised river swimming area on the Thames would represent both practical oversight and symbolic progress. A river once written off as polluted beyond recovery would have an officially monitored stretch in the capital itself.

A decision on the new sites is expected later this year following consultation.

EyeOnLondon’s Richmond upon Thames coverage follows local environmental and planning developments across

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