Thames flood scheme could force swimming lake in Surrey to close

A freshwater lake that attracts more than 30,000 swimmers a year is under threat of closure from an Environment Agency plan to reduce flooding that will channel in polluted river water, according to campaigners.

- Sandra Laville

Almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling on the EA and Surrey county council to reroute the flood channel away from the lake, which is a site of nature conservation.

But the EA and Surrey council seem likely to press ahead with the 50-metre wide channel, bisecting the lake and feeding river flood water into its centre.

Ferris Meadow lake hosts an annual 24-hour charity swim for Level Water, raising money to provide access to swimming for disabled children across the UK.

Bathing water quality in the lake is regularly tested and is excellent. Emma Pattinson, whose family have owned the lake since the 1960s, opened it up for swimming in 2010. By 2024 the lake had hosted a quarter of a million swims, as swimming in nature grew in popularity, with research showing how beneficial it can be to mental health.