London Duck Tours to stop running after company loses Thames access point

The iconic yellow London Duck Tours will disappear from the Thames next month after losing their access point to the river.

A slipway on the Albert Embankment at Vauxhall used by the amphibious tourist vehicles – which are half-boat and half-truck – has been reclaimed by Thames Water to make way for a part of a £4.2 billion Super Sewer scheme, due to finish in 2024.

The company could not find an alternative central London docking site and will run their final tours on 17th September.

Managing Director of London Duck Tours, John Bigos said: “The 18th September will be a very sad day for the company, which was going from strength to strength, but it was vital not to delay construction of this much needed infrastructure project.

“Tourists worldwide and Londoners will surely miss our iconic bright yellow DUKWs travelling around town. They have become a landmark in their own right.”

Nearly two million passengers have boarded the unusual vehicles, invented during World War Two, since the company was founded in 2002.

The Thames Super Sewer is part of works designed to stop 39 million tonnes of raw sewage spilling from London’s Victorian sewers into the Thames every year.

The project will eventually employ thousands at 24 sites stretching from Greenwich in the east to Hammersmith in the west.

It is not clear whether the London Duck Tours will look for a new slipway in the future.