MP ANDY Slaughter has accused Hammersmith and Fulham Council of wasting taxpayers money on a 'useless PR stunt' in their fight against the super-sewer.

Thames Water announced Carnwath Road, in Fulham, as their preferred location for a major building site for their £3.6bn 20-mile Thames Tunnel.

The council is vowing to fight the utility giant alongside residents groups angry at the disruption and long-lasting damage left behind.

It spent £5,000 – along with neighbouring authorities in Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Richmond – to fund an independent review of Thames Water's plans by environmental expert Lord Selbourne.

His findings, released in October, urged Thames Water to re-think and consider greener alternatives and a shorter tunnel which he said would be 'less costly and disruptive for Londoners'.

An investigation by Mr Slaughter into Lord Selbourne's report has led to him launching a stinging attack on its findings this week.

He claims a technical appraisal into the report said a shorter tunnel would result in Hammersmith being blighted by sewage odours and that suggestions to store the waste locally would need an area of around seven football pitches.

He said: “The commission put forward a laughable proposal which, far from undermining it, simply served to strengthen the hand of those making the case for the Thames Tunnel.

“Lord Selbourne's suggested shorter tunnel would cause the same disruption to west London during construction as the Thames Tunnel, but would fail to stop an average of 39m tonnes a year of sewage spilling into the River Thames from London's over-stretched Victorian sewage network.

“It is now clear that H&F leader Stephen Greenhalgh and his Tory chums have wasted thousands of pounds of council taxpayers' money on a useless PR stunt.”

But council leader Stephen Greenhalgh has leapt to the defence of the Commission's findings and their relentless battle against the super-sewer in Fulham.

He said: “It is unfortunate that some people are misunderstanding the recommendations from the panel of world experts who have clearly said there are cheaper, greener and less disruptive alternatives to improve water quality in the Thames.

“It is absurd to argue that The Selbourne Commission was a waste of money when Thames Water has spent £100m so far on preparing and promoting this white elephant of a scheme and only £200,000 on possible green infrastructure solutions to date.

“This is a David versus Goliath struggle but the council makes no apology for fighting Thames Water on this. We will not rest until the bulldozers, which currently threaten the tight-knit residential community around Fulham riverside, are turned back.”

Residents and council members will grill Thames Water bosses at a Super-Sewer Summit at Hurlingham and Chelsea School, in Peterborough Road, from 7pm on Wednesday (7/12).