Twickenham Pub Temporarily Renamed to Raise Awareness for Swan Protection

The White Swan pub, situated in Twickenham, is recognized for its close proximity to the River Thames, where the intervening road frequently becomes submerged due to fluctuating water levels. This distinctive setting prompted the establishment’s management to temporarily alter its name for a single day. The objective was to generate awareness for a charitable initiative, following observations that smokers were discarding cigarette butts into drains and waterways. Kevin O’Callaghan, the pub manager, clarified that the establishment was renamed The Poisoned Swan for one day, stating, “it’s more personal to us – we’re on the river, we see the swans every day”. Actor and comedian Johnny Vegas also attended the pub to lend his support, having previously received a citation and fine for discarding a cigarette into a drain. Mr. O’Callaghan, 59, commented, “I think it is a big issue because people, especially smokers, they don’t really understand what they’re doing wrong. They just think they’re trying to be helpful and put their butts down the drain but really what they’re doing is just contaminating the water.” He further stated, “What we need to try and do is try to make them aware that they’re making the problem worse, not better.” Despite a national rise in vaping, Mr. O’Callaghan observed, “If I go outside my pub today there will be four or five cigarette buts around the drain, so it is still a big problem.” He advised, “Just find the nearest bin and put them in the bin.” He also suggested that local councils and national agencies ought to contemplate advertising campaigns to disseminate this message. In the interim, his staff has placed additional outdoor bins near the pub. He concluded by saying, “We’d encourage any other pub, especially riverside pubs, to do the same thing.” Mr. Vegas, a former smoker, informed BBC Breakfast that the charity had clarified to him that cigarette components do not decompose and continue to release microplastics and toxins into aquatic environments. He mentioned that the pub’s temporary renaming to The Poisoned Swan prompted him to understand, “that is literally what I was doing without realising it.” He further elaborated, “Ducks will eat them and mistake them for food.” He confessed, “I thought I was keeping the streets clean, I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought it was the safest place with a lit cigarette and putting it in the water. I’ve done it, I hold my hands up.” He clarified that the intention was not to “vilify” smokers but rather to encourage them to dispose of their cigarette butts in bins. This initiative coincides with recent findings from Keep Britain Tidy, which indicate that individual drains across the UK receive up to 5,000 discarded cigarette butts annually. In launching its Bin The Butt campaign, the organization highlighted that cigarettes discarded into drains ultimately reach waterways, causing harm to wildlife and contaminating rivers. It also noted that a single cigarette butt possesses the capacity to contaminate as much as 1,000 litres (220 gallons) of water. Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, the chief executive, elaborated, “Cigarette butts are full of plastic, they’re full of toxic chemicals, and when they go down the drain they end up in our canals, in our rivers and on our beaches.” Additional reporting was provided by Gopal Virdee. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites.