Dressed in a gorilla costume, Tom Harrison — aka Mr Gorilla — looks on at the river that he has been banned from crossing for charity on health and safety grounds.
Despite assuring Thames bosses his planned swim would present no difficulties because of the “neutral buoyancy” of his fur-lined suit, he has been told the water is off-limits.
Mr Gorilla was aiming to raise money for his “endangered brothers and sisters in Africa”. And as a Metropolitan Police officer, Mr Harrison, 40, dutifully followed the 2012 by-law dictating permission was needed from the Port of London Authority.
He explained that he was aware of the threat the tidal Thames could pose, and would “give due consideration to boat traffic, tide times [and] exit and entry points”.
He told the authority: “My thought was to undertake it upstream of Tower Bridge... when high tide is at its peak to limit the current flow.”
He even suggested being tied to a boat “at a time of day when there was little passing river traffic”.
But despite his efforts, Pc Harrison was warned the feat would be “dangerous”.
Rejecting his request, an authority official said: “I must emphasise concern about attempting to swim... whilst wearing a ‘gorilla costume’. We have recovered the bodies of swimmers who have not been encumbered by such an outfit — but have still been overwhelmed by the forces of this unforgiving river.”
Pc Harrison today called the decision an injustice. He said: “The PLA seem to have put swimming in the river in the ‘too difficult’ box and blanket banned it. Nelson Mandela said, ‘In order to change others, we must first change ourselves’. I am making my life tougher... to inspire people to give to a great cause.”
Pc Harrison has competed in the London Marathon and The Wolf Run dressed as Mr Gorilla — which included swimming across a lake.
He said: “Hiking, driving, cycling, rafting and flying all carry an element of risk [but] are rarely banned.”
On his fundraising site — which has attracted a solitary donation of £20 — Mr Gorilla added: “There used to be swim clubs along the Thames and people played on the beaches.”
Read More
A spokesman for the PLA said 31 people drowned in the Thames last year. He added: “Attempting to swim across the Thames at any time would be dangerous. To do so wearing a gorilla costume would risk Tom’s life and the safety of others.”
