Boris Johnson calls for review of Thames Barrier to protect London from tidal flooding

Boris Johnson has called for a full review of the Thames Barrier to make sure it is equipped to protect London from tidal flooding in the years ahead.

The Mayor said it would be “prudent” to launch an investigation in light of the extreme flooding that hit the South-East. He told the London Assembly the barrier had saved the city centre and at-risk areas upriver from “huge potential damage” in the last few months.

He has written to the Environment Agency asking it to look into the barrier’s operations. The agency believes it will be adequate until 2050 — but last week it reached its yearly safety limit, when it closed for the 50th time.

Mr Johnson said the barrier was invaluable: “By stopping tidal waters coming in at the same time as fluvial water is coming down, it has turned the Thames in London — which is heavily embanked now — into a gigantic sump, and prevented considerable flooding.

“My information is that the barrier is good for another 75 years, but in view of the many times it has been in operation, and continues to be, over the last few weeks and months, I think it is only prudent to have a full review of its operations.”

The 1,700ft-long shield, which started work in 1983, protects about 1.2 million people and property worth £200 billion. It was closed just four times during the whole of the Eighties. Each closure costs £5,000. The Environment Agency has also been urged to look into the need for a new barrier, or extending the life of the existing one.

There are fears that breaching the system’s operational limit could increase the likelihood of it failing.

Jenny Jones, leader of the Greens on the Assembly, said: “While the barrier has performed superbly, the unprecedented frequency of closures should be a wake-up call. The original design did not take into account the impact of climate change or of protecting parts of west London from flooding.”

Last month’s floods saw scores of properties near the Thames ruined and led barrier operations manager Andy Batchelor to urge Londoners to “know their flood drill”.