The London Assembly has proposed the creation of ten new wild swimming locations in London to enhance the cleanliness of the city’s waterways and increase outdoor accessibility. Other cities, such as Paris and Chicago, are already taking similar steps to clean up their rivers for swimming. In London, there are currently eight designated safe swimming locations, but none of them are on rivers. The report recommends that the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, aims to designate four new bathing water sites by 2028 and a further six by 2034. These sites should be geographically distributed across the capital, starting with river locations that are already used for recreation. The Mayor is urged to tackle water pollution with the same urgency as air pollution and to have a role on the board of Thames Water to hold the company accountable for cleaning up the water. The report also calls for clear water safety advice for all of London’s rivers and water sites and the promotion of safe, supervised swimming locations.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/19/ten-new-wild-swimming-locations-should-created-london-report
