Should the River Thames have the right to go to court?

King’s HRE Legal Clinic stall at Kingston River Cultures Festival

A large banner displayed the question “Should the River Thames have the right to go to court?”, which visitors to the stall were encouraged to cast their vote on using coloured tallies, creating a vivid picture of local opinion. Many supported the idea as an effective way to protect rivers, while others questioned its redundancy considering existing public environmental awareness. These conversations invaluably showed how people interpret legal ideas in light of their own experiences.

Alongside, our volunteer team hosted a light-hearted quiz which tested knowledge of local rivers and environmental rights. Prizes, such as handmade masks of animals living on the River Thames and locally grown organic apples, underscored the stall’s focus on education and sustainability, and were especially popular with families.

Beyond legal activities, artist Olivia Twist and our team facilitated a workshop where families illustrated their favourite memories of the Thames, complementing legal arguments for its protection.

For those who wished to explore further, the team discussed local waterway issues such as the Teddington Direct River Abstraction project. The visitors were directed to practical resources including the London Waterkeeper campaign page and, in some cases, spoke directly with Theo Thomas, the organisation’s founder.

Kingston’s Rivers

As a resident, I know rivers are of particular significance to Kingston. The Thames flows through the town centre, while the Hogsmill, one of the country’s rare chalk streams, joins it just upstream. These waterways are part of daily life, yet they face pressing challenges.

The Hogsmill has suffered repeated pollution incidents, most notably in 2016 when failed pumps at the Hogsmill Sewage Works caused waste to spill into the river and nearby parks.

Thames Water’s Teddington Direct River Abstraction project presents further risks. The proposal would abstract water from the Thames to reservoirs and replace it with treated sewage water from Mogden Sewage Works. Worryingly, Thames Water’s proposal did not include guarantees on ecology, water quality, and the safety of areas used for swimming and boating.

Rights of Nature

These local issues highlight the importance of the Rights of Nature. The Rights of Nature is a legal concept that recognises ecosystems as entities with inherent legal rights, capable of being represented in court when threatened. This would ensure their protection is not left solely to the discretion of corporations or regulators.

There has been global progression in recognising the Rights of Nature, including New Zealand’s recognition of the Whanganui River and Colombia’s extended rights to the Amazon. Although the UK has not yet taken this step, the idea is gaining attention through advocacy and scholarship.

Additional methods to safeguard waterways

Besides the Rights of Nature concept, further community involvement are also effective means.

Several practical steps are available:

• Join campaigns such as London Waterkeeper to hold polluters to account.
• Respond to consultations, including the forthcoming review of the Teddington abstraction project.
• Support charities such as the South East Rivers Trust through volunteering.
• Explore resources such as the Rights of Nature Toolkit developed by King’s Legal Clinic.

Event impact

The Kingston River Cultures Festival demonstrated that grassroots engagement is central to effective environmental advocacy. Conversations with residents revealed how strongly people value their rivers, and their desire to find meaningful ways to protect them. I left the festival with a renewed sense of what law can achieve. Through the HRE Legal Clinic, I saw how legal knowledge can be transformed as tools for communities to protect their environment.