THAMES users based in Hounslow including members of the Chiswick Pier Trust have urged the Mayor of London to give his full support to the proposed ‘Super Sewer’ project.

The group, which was established in 1996 to manage boat moorings and improve access and education on its stretch of the historic river, is a member of the organisation Thames Tunnel Now (TTN).

Yesterday (28) the project managers behind the super sewer, known as Thames Tideway Scheme, were due to submit their plans to the Planning Inspectorate.

In response TTN has pointed out 10 years of research and debate has seen the on-going sewage pollution of the river worsen and wants Boris Johnson to help secure final approval so no further delay occurs.

Anne Gill, trust officer for Chiswick Pier Trust, backed its call and said: “This project will have a significant impact on the already improving cleanliness of the Thames.

“It will also ensure all residents and visitors will be able to safely use the river in all states of tide and weather.”

London’s sewerage system, founded over 150 years ago by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, was future-proofed for a maximum of two million Londoners. Today, that figure stands at 8 million and rising.

It is the weather which is chief culprit for the sewage, as when rain of the level seen in the country recently falls on the capital its network of 57 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) located along the river’s banks are designed to discharge sewage into the water in order to prevent it backing up into people’s homes.

Originally this happened as a last resort, now however the supports of the scheme claim the overloaded system forces untreated sewage into the River Thames after as little as two millimetres of rain.

They say the river, which is used by over 30 watersports clubs and thousands of tourists and walkers each day, is contaminated with harmful pathogens, viruses and bacteria, such as E coli, hepatitis A and faecal streptococci.

The project would see a 25km tunnel constructed under the Thames starting at Acton, in Ealing, and running through Central to Abbey Mills in East London at a cost of £4.1 billion - with the bulk of the money coming out of Thames Water customers pockets via a rise in bills.

It would have three main sites where building work would be carried out, one of which would be located in Fulham and will take around seven years to complete.

The scheme has not been without its critics since it was first proposed by Thames Water in 2005.

Many have questioned the location of the construction sites, while others have argued against the suggested routes and the overall cost.

A detailed public consultation was held between November 2011 and February 2012 during which 1,374 feedback forms, 4,636 letters and nine petitions were received.

In response parts of the project were altered until October last year when the deadline for feedback closed, the final design was then agreed upon ready for submission next week.

The independent inspectorate will then decide if it can continue to the construction phase which is expected to be in 2014/15.

TTN member and Chairman of the River Thames Society, Peter Finch said: “Our sewerage system urgently needs more capacity to meet the needs of modern day London.”

In September 2011 Mr Johnson wrote in his Telegraph column: “Unless we act, neither man nor beast will survive the Thames in 10 years’ time.

“We are facing the long-term deterioration in Thames water quality, and unless we act now I am afraid no one in their right mind will be swimming this river in 10 years’ time

“It (the Tideway project) is a breathtakingly ambitious project, on a scale that would have attracted the approval of Brunel and Bazalgette themselves.”

Already approved as part of the bid to reduce pollution in London was the £140 million upgrade to Mogden Sewage Works in Isleworth which will increase its capacity by 50%.

This is due to be completed in the Spring.