Calls are being made for a cap to be placed on London's water bills - with the cost of the Thames Tunnel project expected to hit householders' pockets from 2013.

Wandsworth Council leader Councillor Ravi Govindia wants the Government to act to stop people from having to pay over the odds for the £3.6bn scheme, which is due be funded primarily through Thames Water's customer water rates.

Annual rates are expected to increase more than £5 a month and bills are not expected to fall back to their current levels once construction work is complete.

Coun Govindia has written to Environment Minister Peter Benyon calling for a limit to be imposed on the amount Thames Water’s customers will have to pay towards the scheme.

He said: “Households in London have been told the super sewer will cost them around £60 a year. Our fear is this figure will rocket if the project runs into trouble.

“We know from bitter experience that the cost of major infrastructure projects can far exceed the estimates presented at the planning stage - the Jubilee Line extension and Channel Tunnel are memorable examples.

“What concerns us about the super sewer is that Thames Water could simply pass rising costs on to their customers. As the region’s sole water and sewer provider there would be no escape for our residents.

“Imposing a cap on these increases is the only sure way to protect Londoners from further hardship at a time when they are already struggling with recent hikes in the cost of gas, electricity, food, petrol and public transport.”

Wandsworth Council supports the objective of the super sewer project - reducing the amount of sewage flowing into the river - but has consistently voiced concerns over the scheme’s costs and the environmental impacts of the construction process.

A Thames Water spokeswoman said: "Ofwat, the water industry’s independent economic regulator, sets upper-limits on water bills.

"They will scrutinise the costs of the proposed Thames Tunnel to ensure they are kept as low as possible."

To find out more and sign the Save Barn Elms petition visit wandsworth.gov.uk/savebarnelms or stoptheshaft.org.