Can you imagine having to leave your home, your business and to disrupt your children’s schooling? That is the dilemma facing the Spooner family, who live in Breer Street.

Their entire life is based around Carnwath Road. Misty and Luke run their business, Freestyle Print, right opposite the proposed site, while their children, Charlie, five, and Alfie, two, attend Thomas's school, just 90 metres away.

Misty says, more than anything, it is the health concerns connected with the project that is making the family consider its future in the area.

But, having lived in Fulham for 14 years, her bond with the area is strong and leaving would be a real wrench.

For Luke, shifting his firm from the east end to Carnwath Road seemed like a great move, but now he is contemplating having to uproot again, meaning he would have to lay off staff.

He summed the situation up when he told me: "If the super sewer goes ahead here, traffic will be a nightmare, and there is no doubt accessibility for my customers will be affected badly."

The family think it's a no-brainer for the shaft to be in Barnes, where the nearest homes are shielded by a brook and trees, where there would be plenty of space for children to play and where there are no schools.

www.FulhamRats.org

Thames Water's Phil Stride delves into the history of London's sewers...

The impact on individual households and businesses is something we are doing our utmost to minimise.

But the truth is, a return to the 1800s, when the Thames was an open sewer, is where we’re headed if we don’t act now to stop sewage overflowing into the river.

Over 150 years ago, Sir Joseph Bazalgette had the vision and determination to create the city’s modern sewerage network. He is one of London’s forgotten heroes.

At the time his critics said his plans were too expensive. Costing the equivalent of about £3bn in modern money, the Bazalgette scheme was certainly not cheap. But where would the capital be if his generation had not bequeathed us his masterpiece of engineering?

After years of deliberation, it’s time for us to emulate the Victorians' long-term forward planning.

London now urgently needs the Thames Tunnel. Though still in good condition, Bazalgette’s network lacks the capacity to meet the needs of a 21st century capital with a much larger population and higher expectations.

The city’s population is three times the size it was when Bazalgette first sat at his drawing board.

Ignoring the problem, or implementing sticking-plaster solutions, would be irresponsible. The tunnel we are planning to build will still be delivering for Londoners in the 22nd century. Wouldn’t that be a legacy to be proud of?