Super sewer still on track despite Thames Water troubles
It is “inconceivable” that Thames Water’s financial woes will derail London’s new super sewer, according to the boss of the company behind the project.
Speaking from inside the 7m-wide concrete tunnel through which London’s sewage will eventually flow, Tideway chief executive Andy Mitchell said he has “no doubt” the project will fulfil its objective of cleaning up the River Thames and that the city’s water supplies will continue uninterrupted.
He said: “The thing that we can be clear on is that you know that the taps will keep running, the toilets will keep flushing and this river will get cleaned up. There’s no doubt in my mind that that will continue.
“This is a particular time, but this tunnel is about cleaning up the river. No one’s ever going to say that’s not the right thing to do.
“And it’s about the impact on the health of the river for a long time to come. I think that’s the thing that we’ve got to focus on, regardless of what’s going to happen.”
Asked whether the tunnel project will go ahead even if Thames Water collapses, he said: “I’m sure it will. It’s inconceivable that anything else would happen, that wouldn’t make sense.”
Tideway is distinct from but funded by Thames Water, with its 15m customers paying through their bills for the nearly-complete giant sewage pipe running underground along the bank of the river.
It has taken 20,000 people eight years to build, costing £4.5bn, and is one of the largest engineering projects the capital has seen in recent years, stretching 25km from Acton to Beckton.
Once operational, expected to be spring or summer next year, the tunnel will cut sewage spills into the Thames by 95 per cent by providing extra capacity and a reservoir for sewage waiting to be treated, the company said.
Press Association – Danny Halpin
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