Wallingford will try for a third time to achieve bathing water status for its stretch of the river Thames – with a district councillor hopeful this latest bid will be the last.

Twice before, the town has applied for the designation, which would require Thames Water to treat waste outflows into the river to a higher standard.  

This means harmful material would be removed before it was released into the river.

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The first application was withdrawn by applicants Wallingford Town Council last year, while the second – which was submitted by South Oxfordshire District Council and the town council with support from environmental charity Thames 21 – was controversially refused by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in March.

The new application – to be launched later this year - will be led by Thames 21 on behalf of the district council, with the town council yet to decide its involvement.

Green Party district councillor Jo Robb, who represents Woodcote and Rotherfield, will again be involved in the application process.

She said: “If Wallingford can’t get it then there is little chance anywhere else can. It’s one of the most well-used stretches of river in the country.”

“We were so shocked and disappointed when it was refused last time.”

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DEFRA refused to comment on why it refused the previous application, but Cllr Robb believed one reason was a lack of information about how many people use the site.

She said the new application would remedy the issue.

“I’m hoping that having more information about how well used this stretch of river is will convince DEFRA this is an application that is absolutely worth being approved,” she said.

“Bathing water status gives us two benefits.

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“The first is it imposes on the Environment Agency a duty to test the water for faecal bacteria and make the public aware.

“This means members of the public can make an informed decision on whether they swim or not.

“When you go to a beach in Cornwall or a beach or river in France, there will be a sign there telling you if the water quality is excellent, good, or poor, and that’s updated on a weekly basis.

“The second is it gives swimmers and other members of the community who love the river the power to compel water companies to clean up their act.”

District councillor for Wallingford James Barlow said: "We are hopeful this bid will succeed since we are collecting even more evidence to demonstrate the popularity of the spot to overcome the reason why – that there are not enough swimmers - DEFRA turned us down before.

"Designation will also help to increase pressure and help to direct investment for improvements required for a healthier river."

A spokesman from Thames21 said: "Wallingford ticks all the right boxes to be designated as a Bathing Water by DEFRA. We believe a revised application in October will be successful as it will include new user data showing the popularity on all the busiest days this summer, something that were only able to record on a select few dates and include in the 2022 application."