"Next week the independent commission set up by Hammersmith and Fulham council will start looking at alternatives to the Thames Tunnel, so this seems a good moment to look at the background to the problem.

"The ‘Great Stink’ of 1858 famously provided the impetus for legislation enabling Sir Joseph Bazalgette to begin work on his interceptor sewers, which remain the backbone of London’s sewerage system.

"Although the population of London was two and a half million at the time, Bazalgette had commendable foresight and built a system to serve four million Londoners.

"Now, 150 years later, the system is no longer big enough to meet the needs of modern day London. The city’s population is now approaching eight million. In a typical year, the city’s sewers discharge enough untreated sewage into the River Thames to fill the Royal Albert Hall 450 times.

"As we saw in June, this pollution kills fish, damages wildlife and carries pathogens that threaten human health. The city's increasing population, new development, and the impact of climate change will make these problems steadily worse.

"The studies we have carried out over the last ten years have concluded that a major extension to the sewer system, in the form of a large and deep tunnel running along the route of the Thames and collecting the discharges which currently go into the river, would be the best solution.

"Although alternatives were identified, some of which will play an important part in preventing the situation from becoming worse, they were found to be inadequate to deal with the sheer scale of the existing problems.

"They were much more expensive, would take longer to deliver the necessary improvements and would be more disruptive to the life of the city. We will be explaining this work to the commission and will look forward to seeing their conclusions."

• Read the full article on the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle website