London assembly calls for city to get 10 extra wild swimming sites

Ten wild swimming spots should be created in London to help clean up the capital's waterways, an official report says.

- Helena Horton Environment reporter

London has eight locations designated as safe for swimming in nature - all in docks or ponds. None of the capital's rivers achieve “good” status in the Environment Agency’s official testing.

The report from the London assembly said the mayor, Sadiq Khan, should aim to designate four new sites as bathing waters by 2028 and a further six by 2034. It recommends they should be distributed across the city, starting with river locations already used for recreation.

The river at Teddington in southwest London was highlighted in the report as a place where people already swim.