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There is no stopping the rising tide of outdoor swimmers in London. And it doesn’t seem like the hype will be slowing down any time soon, because soon cold water enthusiasts could be plunging themselves into the River Thames at a brand new swimming spot.
The government has proposed the introduction of 13 new swimming sites around the UK, one of which is in Greater London. We know what you’re thinking. Isn’t the Thames a filthy, dangerous cesspool of discarded shopping trolleys, Lime bikes and sewage? In some ways, yes. But the officials have spoken, and according to them this new spot will be A-okay for practicing your breaststroke, front crawl and the like.
The new outdoor dipping spot would be found in the River Thames at Ham and Kingston in the west of the city, at a once popular Victorian swimming location. It could become the capital’s first ever bathing site in the Thames.
The site’s arrival would mark a ‘vast transformation’ in water quality in the river, which was declared biologically dead in the 1950s due to pollution.
Water minister Emma Hardy said rivers and beaches were ‘at the heart of so many communities, where people come together, families make memories and swimmers of all ages feel the benefits of being outdoors safely’.
A six-week public consultation is currently taking place where the government will assess the potential swimming areas. If they become ‘Designated Bathing Waters’, they will be regularly tested for water quality throughout the bathing season (May 15 to September 30).
There’s more: An Olympic-sized lido with saunas is opening in east London this summer.
Did you see that a new embankment on the Thames in central London is now open to the public?
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