Teddington Launch Lock repairs

The Environment Agency is carrying out improvement works to refurbish and recondition the Teddington Launch Lock that will result in a reliable, operational lock, for decades to come.

In September 2025, our construction partner, Bam Nuttal, mobilised to site to begin the refurbishment works. A summary of the project’s progress to date can be found below:

• Ground investigations undertaken and completed
• Lock gates removed from the lock chamber and transported to the workshop for refurbishment
• Propping installed in the lock chamber to support the lock walls during construction
• Temporary stop log barriers established, allowing the dewatering of the lock chamber
• Further scanning and investigations into the strength and structure of the lock walls
• Fish rescue of an estimated 5,000 fish across 11 species, from the lock chamber during dewatering
• Lock wall reinforcement works commenced
• Lock gate repairs are progressing well

Please note, the Thames path at Teddington Lock and Ham Street car park will have minor diversions for short periods of time throughout the works and will be clearly marked on site. At all other times the Thames Path remains open as usual. Diversions will not impact Teddington Footbridge. We are continuing to work closely with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils to give advanced warning of any diversions and to limit the inconvenience to our customers.  

Use of the Teddington Barge Lock will continue throughout construction to maintain navigation. 

Current Progress – June 2026 Update

Refurbishment is progressing at both ends of the lock, with damaged sections being carefully excavated. Our contractor has also reinforced the lock chamber walls using steel rods, and this work is now nearly complete.

New concrete foundation walls are being built, and steel recesses (quoins) have been constructed into the lock walls to facilitate the operation of the lock gates. This aspect has proven particularly challenging due to the precision required. In certain cases, dimensional tolerances must be maintained to within ±1mm to ensure correct operation of the lock mechanism.

The project is particularly difficult due to the lock being over 100 years old. We were only able to fully understand its condition and take accurate measurements after the water was drained and detailed scans were carried out earlier this year. It is likely that over the years, part of the structure has changed from our as-built records, meaning the current design has needed to be adjusted as construction progresses to make sure everything is fit for modern purpose.

As a result, the complexity of the design and reconstruction work means the project is taking longer than originally expected.

The lock gates are undergoing refurbishment at the factory and will be reinstalled at the lock later this summer.  

Figure 1 –Refurbishment works underway at the upstream-end of the lock. New concrete being poured to secure the new stainless steelQuoins being installed. 

Next Steps

The focus will be on installing the new supporting structures in preparation for putting the lock gates back in later this summer. At the same time, detailed planning is underway for the testing that will be needed once the gates are reinstalled. The gates need to be tested both when the lock is empty and when it is filled with water. This means the lock chamber will need to be filled and drained several times. Testing will be carried out on the new mechanical and electrical equipment being installed to make sure everything is working properly.

The project team has been working hard to get the lock back in operation by the end of the boating season. However, due to the complexity of the refurbishment and the extent of the structural improvements required, this is now unlikely to be achieved.

It is currently anticipated that the launch lock will be back in operation in the autumn. Some additional works will continue at site beyond lock’s re-opening. These works are expected to conclude in the Winter

Use of the Teddington Barge Lock will continue throughout construction to maintain navigation.

Contact us

If you see damage at this site or any other of our assets, please call our 24-hour Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/report-environmental-problem(External link)(External link)

Please email enquiries_thm@environment-agency.gov.uk(External link)(External link) if you have any further queries, however please note that the most up to date information is on this page.

You can also phone our National Customer Contact Centre on 03708 506 506 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).

Previous Update

We successfully dewatered the lock in February 2026 enabling us to inspect the structure and plan the necessary refurbishment works in detail. As part of the dewatering activity, we worked with ecologists ‘FiveRivers’ who carried out electro-fishing to safely remove any fish from the works area. They relocated an estimated 5,000 fish from the lock, across 11 fish species. To safely remove the fish, they were placed into oxygenated holding tanks and then released back in the River Thames at a suitable location.