River Thames in London gets first official bathing spot on Friday

The first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London will welcome swimmers for the official start of the bathing season on Friday as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across England. The Thames at Ham, in south-west London , has been designated as a new river bathing water area after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year. Marlene Lawrence, the founder of the Teddington Bluetits, which has more than 2,000 members, put in the bathing water application alongside her colleagues. “This is amazing for the river and for the many people who enjoy it,” she said. “We want bathing water status to be a driver of keeping the River Thames clean and it will be fantastic to have this part of the river designated.” Other locations which have been designated as bathing water areas include a tidal inlet just off the River Yealm in the south Devon; part of the River Fowey in Lostwithiel, Cornwall; the River Dee at Sandy Lane, Chester; a sea swimming area at Little Shore, Amble, in Northumberland; Pangbourne Meadow in Berkshire, which inspired the novel The Wind in the Willows; and the River Swale in Richmond, Yorkshire. Water minister Emma Hardy said: “The introduction of these new bathing sites means better monitoring of our waterways, a boost for local tourism and greater confidence for local swimmers. …