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Costing the Earth

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Fresh ideas from the sharpest minds working toward a cleaner, greener planet

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Costing the Earth: Tunnel Beneath the Thames

Tunnel Beneath the Thames

21/02/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Costing the Earth, Tunnel Beneath the Thames

Raw sewage regularly pours into the River Thames. Alice Roberts looks for an answer.

Every time London suffers a serious rainstorm, raw sewage overwhelms the Victorian sewers and pours into the River Thames. Prof Alice Roberts examines the proposed solution.

Every time more than two millimetres of rain drops onto the streets of London a combination of raw sewerage and rainwater overwhelms the Victorian sewers and pours into the River Thames, killing fish and disgusting the users of the river.

The solution being proposed by Thames Water is an enormous 15 mile long tunnel buried beneath the river as it flows through the city. There's little doubt that it will clean up the river but is the health of a few fish really worth over £4 billion of Londoners' money and years of disruption for those who live close to the tunnel construction sites?

In 'Costing the Earth' Professor Alice Roberts descends into Joseph Bazalgette's Victorian sewer system to see the extent of the problem and the scale of the new works. 


Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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