Teddington Launch Lock repairs

The Environment Agency is carrying out improvement works to refurbish Teddington Launch Lock that will result in a reliable, operational lock.

In September 2025, our construction partner, Bam Nuttal, mobilised to site to begin the refurbishment works. To date, the team has completed ground investigations, removed the upstream lock gates, and installed the upstream stop logs / propping throughout the lock chamber to support the lock during construction.

Following the Christmas break, the site team have removed the downstream lock gates and have installed a temporary stop log barrier in their place. They will now begin to dewater the lock chamber to allow engineers access to the lock chamber to continue the works. Both sets of lock gates have been removed from site for inspection and repairs.

Please note, the Thames path at Teddington Lock and Ham Street car park will be diverted for short periods of time throughout the works and will be clearly marked on site.

Teddington Barge Lock will continue to be the primary lock for our Navigation customers throughout Launch Lock’s re-construction. Once the Launch Lock is returned to operational service, it will become the primary lock for Navigation.

We anticipate the project will be on site for approximately one year, with the lock likely to reopen in late Summer 2026.  The project will deliver improvements that enhance the safety, functionality, and resilience of Teddington Lock.

We are working closely with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils to give advanced warning of any diversions and to limit the inconvenience to our customers.  

Current Progress

Considerable progress was made in 2025, with the project team completing ground investigations at site, removing the upstream lock gates for refurbishment, establishing a temporary ‘stop-log’ barrier in place of the upstream gates, and installing propping throughout the lock chamber.

Work recommenced in Early January 2026 after the Christmas break with the removal of the downstream lock gates for refurbishment. A second temporary stop log barrier has now been established where the downstream gates were located. The stop log barriers and propping will allow the project to begin dewatering the lock, so inspections and refurbishment can take place.

Image Figure 1 Propping and Temporary Works used to support the lock structure during construction.

 

                                                                                                                            Figure 2 Areial photo of the upstream gate removal

                                                                                                                            Figure 3 Areial photo of the upstream gate removal

Next Steps

Following their removal from the chamber, the lock gates have been transported off site to undergo a full inspection of their condition. A full refurbishment will then be completed to ensure the gates are ready for reinstallation and use in the lock later this year.

At the lock site, the project team will now begin the process of dewatering the lock. This will allow engineers access to the lock chamber to complete further inspections and complete future repairs that may be needed.

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).