This London site could be about to become The Thames' first public swimming spot

If it feels like there has been a never-ending rise of all things wild swimming recently – community saunas, new Lidos, leisure centres, surfing lakes, giant potholes, then you’re not making it up. There has been a (tidal) wave of new initiatives proposed to create more wild swimming spots across the UK, and one in London is looking very promising.

13 sites across the UK have been shortlisted for ‘swimming status’, which does not include a pink Kellogg’s 50m swim badge, but in fact is about creating sites which are safe, designated spaces suitable for public swimming. The government has proposed to designate Riverside at Ham and Kingston as one of the latest official bathing sites, and it has been welcomed by Richmond Council. The site has been put forward and championed by locals, including the Teddington Bluetits swimming group who believe it would be transformative for the community.

Despite the fact that most people associate the waters of the Thames with rusty shopping trollies, floating wet wipes, and other unsavoury detritus, if approved, the area could be fit for public dipping from May 2026. If the area does become a designated site, it would require regular water testing, as well as public facilities like toilets.

The site has been used as a bathing site before, having been a popular Victorian swimming location. However, the designation could prove challenging for Thames Water as the body is attempting to drive through a water recycling scheme to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from the Thames near the proposed bathing water area and replace it with treated effluent from the nearby Mogden sewage works.

Other waterways that are up for consideration include: a tidal inlet near the River Yealm in Devon, a section of the River Fowey in Cornwall, the River Dee in Chester, Little Shore in Northumberland, and the River Swale in Yorkshire, to name a few.

Speaking to the Standard, Water minister Emma Hardy said: “The Thames is the vital artery at the heart of London’s cultural and sporting life.

“Plans for the very first bathing site in Ham and Kingston would mark a dramatic step towards a river fit for the world’s greatest capital city, making it a place people can confidently swim and take pride in.”

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