Ten new wild swimming locations should be created in London, report says

"Ten new wild swimming locations should be created in London, a report from the London assembly has said, to boost cleanliness of the capital's waterways and increase access to the outdoors. Other cities are cleaning up their rivers for swimming: Paris has opened a swimming site in the Seine in the city centre and Chicago is running its first river swim in almost a century. There are now eight locations in London designated as safe places to swim in nature."

"None of the sites are on rivers all are in docks or ponds. None of the city's rivers currently achieve good status in the Environment Agency's official testing, based on the EU's water framework directive. The report says the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, should aim to designate four new sites as bathing waters by 2028 and a further six by 2034. It recommends the sites should be geographically distributed across the capital where possible, starting with river locations that are already used for recreation."

"Khan has had a focus on breathable air and put in place an ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) scheme, banning the most polluting vehicles from London. A study has estimated that roadside nitrogen dioxide emissions are 27% lower overall than they would have been without the scheme, and small-particle emissions from vehicle exhausts were 31% lower in outer London in 2024 than they would have been had Ulez not been expanded in 2023."

London currently has eight designated safe wild swimming locations, all in docks or ponds, and none on rivers. None of the city's rivers achieve good status under the Environment Agency's testing based on the EU water framework directive. Four new bathing sites should be designated by 2028 and a further six by 2034, with geographic distribution across the capital and priority for rivers already used for recreation such as Teddington. The mayor should tackle water pollution with similar urgency as air pollution, take accountability via Thames Water oversight, and provide clear water-safety guidance and a central information page by April 2026.

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