Controversial plans to pump treated sewage into the River Thames in Teddington are moving forward, despite a petition with more than 31,000 signatures objecting to the project.

Thames Water will launch a 10-week public consultation on its proposed sewage recycling scheme in Teddington later this month.

The scheme would see up to 75million litres of water a day taken from the Thames above Teddington Weir, in times of drought, and transferred along a new pipeline to an existing underground tunnel.

It would then join the Lee Valley reservoirs, ready to become drinking water. This water would be replaced with highly treated sewage from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works via a new tunnel.

It comes after Environment Secretary Steve Reed approved Thames Water's Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) in 2024, in a move slammed as "deeply disappointing" by Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson.

The WRMP outlines how the company will provide customers with a "secure and sustainable water supply", as it predicts it will need an extra billion litres of water a day by 2050 to account for climate change and growing population demand.

One of the major projects in the WRMP is the Teddington scheme, which Thames Water says is needed to meet future water demand and provide drought resilience for London's residents, businesses, schools, hospitals and other services.

It has attracted fierce backlash, however, from local MPs, residents and campaigners, who have raised concerns about its potential impact on the environment, wildlife and human health. A petition demanding it is scrapped has gained more than 31,900 signatures.

A Thames Water spokesperson previously said: "Local communities have our absolute assurance that no untreated sewage will be transferred into the River Thames through our abstraction project proposals.

"The project is no different to the normal water supply system and will work by putting treated recycled water from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works through an additional stage of treatment so we're able to top up the Thames with clean, recycled water."

The company made changes to the scheme's original design last year, including cutting the number of construction compounds and shafts from eight to four by switching the proposed construction method from pipejacking to tunnel boring.

It said these changes will improve the attractiveness of the scheme and reduce traffic.

Thames Water is now moving ahead with launching a statutory consultation on the plans on 17 June. It will review the feedback it receives to shape its application for a development consent order, which it will submit in 2026 as this is needed for the project to go ahead.

Leonie Dubois, Thames Water's Head of Engagement, Land and Consents, said: "Our public consultation will put communities at the forefront of our plans as we progress this nationally significant infrastructure project, which will secure water supply for millions.

"Once the consultation is live, we want to gather as much feedback as possible and would encourage our customers to join our events throughout the summer, talk to the team to find out what the project means for them, and make sure they have their say."

Thames Water will publish consultation materials, the latest project design and ways to provide feedback on a dedicated webpage on 17 June. Members of the public will be able to comment on the proposals until 26 August.

If the development consent order is approved, construction will begin in 2029, and the scheme will be in operation by 2033. Its latest estimated budget is between £359.3million and £535.3million.