Council doubts 'super sewer' plan

The £2.5bn sewer aims to prevent sewage spilling into the Thames

A £2.5bn "super sewer" planned for west London may be ineffective, residents have been told at a public meeting.

Thames Water plans the 35km (21.7 mile) underground Thames Tideway Tunnel to stop sewage spilling into the Thames.

But Hammersmith & Fulham council leader Stephen Greenhalgh said he was not convinced the tunnel would be effective or provide value for money.

He called for a new independent study into alternatives but Thames Water said earlier studies supported the plan.

'Highly unlikely'

The company has proposed digging a 100ft (30.4m) hole in west London for the sewer, with work on the eight-year project due to begin in 2012.

Representatives from Thames Water, the Environment Agency and the Consumer Council for Water answered residents' questions at the Hammersmith Town Hall meeting on Monday evening.

Thames Water's sustainability director Richard Aylard said the sewer was required to meet European Union directives on water quality.

It was highly unlikely that Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith would be used as the starting point for the tunnel, he added.

But Andrew Whetnall from the Consumer Council for Water said: "The test is whether the extremely high costs justify a relatively small improvement in water quality."

This is an extremely expensive scheme which is actually unlikely to function efficiently Professor Richard Ashley, Sheffield University

Richard Ashley, Professor of Urban Water at Sheffield University, also doubted whether the sewer would be effective.

He told the meeting: "This is an extremely expensive scheme which is actually unlikely to function efficiently, has an enormous carbon footprint and does nothing to reduce flooding or reduce global warming."

The meeting also heard that existing sewers between Abbey Mills, Beckton and Chelsea may be viable alternatives to the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Hammersmith & Fulham council leader Stephen Greenhalgh said he was not convinced that the Thames Tideway Tunnel represented good value for money.

Responding to the meeting, a Thames Water spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the "super tunnel" would bring significant benefits for wildlife, the environment and residents.

"The councils' request for a new study would only further delay sorting out the very serious problem of 32 million cubic metres of untreated sewage overflowing into the River Thames every year," she said.

"As recently as August 2005, detailed independent studies have already assessed all the possible alternatives and concluded that the tunnel solution is the best option."