Controversial £4.2bn 'supersewer' given the go ahead

Construction of the controversial supersewer in London is set begin in 2016 after ministers today approved the £4.2billion project.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles admitted that building the 15-mile tunnel under the Thames would cause considerable disruption but this was outweighed by the benefits of the scheme.

The “Tideway Tunnel”, will run largely under the Thames from Acton to Abbey Mills in the east where waste water will be treated and pumped back into the river.

Londoners will be hit with a permanent £80 annual levy from the 2020s on their bills from Thames Water which is running the project.

Opponents described the decision as a “disaster for London” and vowed to continue their fight.

Thames Water says the tunnel is needed to replace the capital’s overflowing Victorian drainage system and prevent untreated sewage being flushed into the Thames in heavy rains.

Building work is due to begin in 2016 and last seven years. A team of 4,000 will work at 24 construction sites, including the five main shafts down into the tunnel.

Mr Pickles said: “This is a challenging infrastructure project, but it is clear that the Thames Tunnel will help modernise London’s ageing Victorian sewerage system, and make the River Thames cleaner and safer.”

Andy Mitchell, chief executive of Thames Tideway Tunnel, said: “Hardly a week goes by when untreated sewage is not pouring in to London’s river and we are pleased that we can now start to tackle this archaic problem.

“This is a huge project but it’s a huge problem, and we can now get on with tackling it. It’s no easy task, but we’re confident that we can deliver this project and still achieve our aim of minimising the impact on our customer bills.”

Mr Mitchell said had the tunnel had been in operation last year, it would have captured 97 per cent of the sewage that poured into the Thames.