The consultation takes into account the route of the tunnel and the sites needed to construct and operate the project. The tunnel will run up to 20 miles from its starting point in west London, following the route of the River Thames to the east of Tower Bridge before going one of three ways:
• North-east to connect to the Lee Tunnel at Abbey Mills in Stratford
• East following the river and crossing the Greenwich peninsular up to Beckton Sewage Treatment Works
• South-east, straight to Greenwich and then on to Beckton
Thames Water is holding exhibitions in London until October 22 to provide people with the opportunity to understand the development of the project, and have their say on the preferred route and construction sites.
The consultation comes on the back of the Government’s approval for the tunnel. Announcing the backing, the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman said: “A tunnel continues to offer by far the most cost-effective solution to the unacceptable problem of raw sewage being regularly discharged into the Thames.”