River Thames: Owner Occupation
Commons · Question 112048 · Tabled 9 Feb 2026 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Official record
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Question
Asked by Ben Coleman
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Environment Agency on it registering property owners along the tidal Thames as riparian owners where legal evidence of ownership does not exist
Answer
Answered by Emma Hardy, 13 Feb 2026
The Environment Agency does not register landowners in London as riparian owners. A landowner’s responsibility for a tidal flood defence arises under the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879, which requires flood de...