London’s sewer project has reached a major milestone with the lower of its first Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) in Battersea.

The two TBMs, have been lowered 53 metres into the ground at its Kirtling Street site near Battersea Power Station.

Tideway, the company building London’s super sewer, will be constructing a 25km sewer tunnel to tackle the problem of sewage pollution in the River Thames.

The TBMS, Millicent and Ursula, named after pioneering women who lived and worked in London close to Tideway’s sites, will be used to dig the central of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Millicent, named after Dame Millicent Fawcett, an English suffragist, will tunnel 5km from Kirtling Street to Carnwath Road in Fulham.

While Ursula, named after Audrey ‘Ursula’ Smith, a British cryobiologist at King’s College Hospital, will tunnel 7km from Kirtling Street to Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey.

Mark Sneesby, Tideway’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The lowering of our first two Tunnel Boring Machines marks a significant milestone for the project before tunnelling gets underway later this year.

“London’s new super sewer will prevent tens of millions of tonnes of sewage from entering London’s iconic River Thames, the vein that runs through London, and will protect it for the next hundred years and future generations to come.”

The lowering of the TBM’s took approximately eight hours individually, with Ursula lowered on Wednesday, June 6 and Millicent on Tuesday, June 12.

When finished, each TBM will weigh in at 1300 tonnes and be 100 metres long and will be the project’s largest of six tunnelling machines, remaining underground for almost two years as they dig the tunnels.