Richmond Council has refused Thames Water permission to film a promotional video in the borough, escalating a dispute over the company's plan to pump treated wastewater into the River Thames. The decision was announced by Lib Dem Council Leader Gareth Roberts, who said the authority acted on behalf of residents who have widely opposed the scheme.
Council leader says no to filming request
Councillor Roberts said the council was "shocked" to receive a request from a production company seeking to film a promotional piece for Thames Water's services, using Richmond as a backdrop. In a video posted on the council's social media, he described the borough as "the beautiful borough that they are hell-bent on destroying."
The request was denied, with Councillor Roberts telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the authority wanted to send a clear message: Thames Water does not "get to come and spoil our borough, and at the same time ask permission for it to form the backdrop for one of your nice promotional puff pieces."
Background of the Teddington Direct River Abstraction scheme
The dispute centres on Thames Water's Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme, which aims to secure London's drinking water supply during prolonged dry weather. The plan would take up to 75 million litres of water a day from the Thames above Teddington Weir, transferring it through a new pipeline to an existing underground tunnel.
That water would then join the Lee Valley reservoirs, ready for treatment as drinking water. To compensate for the abstraction, "highly-treated" wastewater from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works would be released into the Thames via a new tunnel.
The scheme has faced sustained opposition from the council, local MPs, residents, and campaigners, who have raised concerns about its potential impact on the environment, wildlife, and human health. A petition calling for the project to be scrapped has gathered more than 34,200 signatures.
Council leader calls for shelving of plans
Councillor Roberts said the council wants Thames Water to "shelve these plans in their entirety," arguing that the company has not explored all available options for future water supply. He added that other alternatives exist, but the firm is pursuing TDRA because "it's the cheapest one available."
He reaffirmed that the council is "not backing down in our fight against Thames Water to get them to shelve these plans."
Thames Water has previously defended the scheme, stating it would meet water quality standards set by the Environment Agency, along with all relevant regulatory and legal requirements drawn up by the Government.
Thames Water responds to filming ban
A Thames Water spokesperson told the LDRS that a production company working on its behalf had contacted Richmond Council to discuss possible filming as part of the next phase of its "biggest upgrade" customer awareness campaign. The campaign is intended to explain the scale of investment underway to improve services, reduce leaks, and cut pollution, for the benefit of customers and the environment.
The proposed film, the spokesperson said, would update customers on what has been delivered over the past year and showcase how the company is continuing to deliver improvements as it undertakes "the biggest upgrade to our network in 150 years."
Thames Water plans to apply to the Government for a development consent order to build the TDRA project in early 2027.
