The borough's two MPs have slammed the Environment Secretary over repeated failures to tackle the pollution of the nation's rivers, including the Thames through south west London.

This week, Therese Coffey fronted an event at London Wetland Centre, in Barnes, to announce a new 'water plan' to – among other things - tackle the dumping of sewage into the rivers and sees by water companies.

However, Sarah Olney, the MP for Richmond Park, and Munira Wilson, the Twickenham MP, condemned the announcement and the record of the Conservatives.

Sarah Olney, the MP for Richmond Park. Credit: Parliament TV.

Sarah Olney said: "In South West London, sewage was dumped into the Thames on 123 occasions for a total of 590 hours over the last two years. That is 48 mins every day during that time.

"Therese Coffey should be apologising to my constituents for that, not using the area for a media soundbite. The Environment Secretary should have resigned already."

Munira Wilson, the Twickenham MP. Credit: Parliament TV.

Munira Wilson said: "The real issue is letting water companies off the hook to dump tons of sewage in our waterways, with terrible ramifications for human health and the environment."

The two MPs are currently challenging plans by Thames Water to take millions of litres from the Thames every day near Teddington and pump in treated effluent from the Mogden sewage works.

Speaking in Barnes, Dr Coffey admitted the nation is 'rightly horrified' about the dumping of sewage in the nation's rivers, including the Thames. However, she admitted it could take until 2050 to resolve the problem.

It emerged last week that water companies dumped sewage in rivers more than 300,000 times in 2022.

Dr Coffey said the 'public have quite rightly been horrified' by the scale of the problem. However, she went on to warn that anyone who thinks it can be fixed overnight is 'dishonest'.

The minister has faced repeated calls for her resignation over failures by the government to tackle the pollution of rivers and the sea, which is threatening the environment and human health.

She said: "The truth is that however much we all want to see this fixed yesterday, there is no way that we can stop pollution overnight.

"If there were, I would do it just as quickly - and without hesitation. And anyone who tells you that they can - or get £56billion pounds of capital investment out the door and into improvements to infrastructure under 25-years - is either detached from reality or being definitively dishonest with the public."

The minister also argued it was not 'practical or desirable' to deliver totally pristine and clean rivers as this would involve ripping up roads and pavements to put in a new sewerage system across the land.

The government's new plan also calls on the public to cut their water consumption. This will involve reducing average use per head from the current figure of around 140 litres per day to 110.

Ministers are also supporting a ban on wet wipes containing plastics, which are associated with sewer blockages.