New flood relief channel route to be considered

Campaigners have called for an open water swimming lake in Shepperton to be left out of the proposed route

An alternative route for a flood relief channel in Surrey is to be considered following concerns from open water swimmers.

The River Thames Scheme will aim to reduce the risk of flooding for 11,000 homes and 1,600 businesses in Surrey and London.

It will see a new river channel built in two sections close to the Thames – known as the Runnymede Channel Section and the Spelthorne Channel Section.

But campaigners have called for a lake in Shepperton to be left out of the proposed route amid concerns about the impact on water quality.

Local swimming coach Salim Ahmed said: “There is an alternative.”

Mr Ahmed said the lake had become "arguably the largest dedicated open water swimming venue in the country”.

“The route that has been taken goes through two landfills and its coming from the Thames, so you’ve got three potential sources of contamination,” he said.

“All we’re looking for is it to be diverted through what we think is quite a credible alternative.”

Surrey was hit by devastating floods in 2014 when the Thames burst its banks

The River Thames Scheme project director, Jeanne Capley, said her team is “assessing the feasibility of an alternative”.

“It is absolutely the right thing to look at alternatives,” she told BBC Radio Surrey.

“We want to make sure that people can enjoy their environment and we want to make sure there is protection from flooding.”

More than 40,000 people have signed a petition to divert the channel.

Emma Jackson, who started the campaign, said the news of an alternative route being considered was “super exciting”.

“It [the lake] is known as a positive space and a safe space for people passionate about wild swimming to come to,” she said.