MP unhappy at delay to river user protection

FREDDIE van Mierlo has raised concerns about delays in improving the rules that protect rivers used for swimming, rowing and paddleboarding.

The Henley MP wants to see the Government reform the bathing water designation framework to expand the definition of bathers to include all river users, such as rowers and paddleboarders.

Henley’s application for bathing water status was denied in 2024 for not having enough spontaneous “bathers” (swimmers).

If the definition was changed, new protections could be introduced for water quality, including monitoring by the Environment Agency and requiring improvements by Thames Water.

However, the new amendment published in October only puts in place the core reforms and technical changes.

The wider reforms, including the change that would help protect rivers used for sport and recreation, have been left without a clear timetable.

The Government has suggested they may not be brought in before 2027 and only after more studies.

Mr van Mierlo has written to Emma Hardy, the Minister for Water and Flooding, warning that this delay will continue to affect local events and people who use the River Thames.

He said that in recent years Henley Royal Regatta has faced warnings about sewage and high levels of E. coli along the course and Henley Swim, which ran large community events for more than
20 years, closed this year because poor water quality made it impossible to continue.

Mr van Mierlo, who lives in Henley, said: “Our community depends on a clean and healthy River Thames.

“Events have already been lost because water quality has been allowed to decline. The Government has accepted the need for wider reform but is now pushing it years into the future. Local people deserve clarity and real action, not further delay.”

Mr van Mierlo’s letter also highlights concerns raised by the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.

The committee said that important details about how the new system will work are still missing, which makes proper scrutiny difficult.

Mr van Mierlo also warned that river water testing may depend on future funding, and that the Government has not yet addressed calls from groups such as Surfers Against Sewage for testing of new pollutants, real-time monitoring of bathing sites and an end to ignoring the worst pollution events.

Mr van Mierlo has asked the minister to respond to these issues before the objection period ended on Saturday but the department has not yet responded.