Test closure of Thames Barrier should help Queen’s Jubilee pageant

Pat Coughtrey , News Editor Thursday, March 15, 2012
3:55 PM

This year’s annual Thames Barrier test closure on Sunday June 3 will also coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant, a flotilla of 1,000 vessels.

With the river closed to normal navigation the full closure over a high tide will last longer than normal from around 9.30am to 11.30pm allowing Thames Barrier staff at Silvertown a unique opportunity to test the current engineering design in practice.

It will ensure more stable tidal conditions on the river in central London to help the flotilla.

Andy Batchelor, Flood Risk Manager at the Thames Barrier, said: “We will be able to maintain a higher water level upstream than downstream, giving us a chance to test how the barrier performs under these conditions.”