CALLS mount for the government to take decisive action against pollution in the river Thames as thousands of young rowers gather for the Schools’ Head of the River Race today.

Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave wrote a letter, co-ordinated by River Action, to the Environment Secretary Steve Reed, urging the government to ensure Thames Water cleans up its infrastructure. 

It also calls for environmental regulators to be given the power to hold polluters to account.

Mr Redgrave said: “This is not just about rowing. It’s about all river users’ public health.

“It’s about our environment. It’s about the future of one of the world’s most iconic rivers. We won’t sit quietly while this catastrophe continues.”

In response to concerns over water quality, British Rowing, River Action, and The Rivers Trust have developed guidelines to help rowers minimise the risk of illness due to exposure to polluted water.

“Guidance alone is not enough,” said Erica Popplewell, River Action’s head of communities, “we need the government to take decisive action to clean up the UK’s polluted rivers, and Thames Water must be stopped from polluting for profit.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We have delivered on our promise to put water companies under tough special measures through our landmark Water Act, introducing new powers to ban the payment of bonuses to polluting water bosses and bring tougher criminal charges against them if they break the law.

“The Government has secured over £100 billion of private sector investment to upgrade and build new water infrastructure to clean up our waterways and support the building of 1.5 million new homes.”