Extreme weather could mean the Thames Barrier will need replacing up to two decades earlier than previously expected, at a cost of at least £20bn, according to a report by the Financial Times (FT).
The structure – which has been operational since 1982 – helps to protect areas of London lying in the floodplain from high tides and storm surges moving up from the North Sea.
Spanning 520 metres across the River Thames near Woolwich, it has 10 steel gates, each weighing 3,300 tonnes, that can be raised into position across the river, effectively blocking water from flowing upriver into London.
The Thames Barrier was built to last until 2030, however the Environment Agency (EA), which runs and maintains it, said as part of its Thames Estuary 2100 Plan unveiled in 2023, that it expects it to continue to protect London until 2070. But government officials have now told the FT that it will need to be replaced between 2050 and 2060 at an anticipated cost of at least £20bn. They said this is due to...