Severn Trent begins £450m network upgrade to tackle storm overflow spills

Severn Trent has launched its £450 million programme in a bid to reduce spills from storm overflows across its Staffordshire network.

Once complete, the work is anticipated to reduce spills by 20% annually.

Part of the programme of work includes making improvements to the company’s Trescott Wastewater Works where new storage solutions are being installed to hold 200,000 additional litres of water, taking the total capacity to 600,000 litres.

Over the next 25 years, Severn Trent is investing £640 million in Staffordshire to improve 339 overflows.

Mark Darby, Severn Trent spills programme lead, said: “Our customers want us to go as quickly as possible to reduce spills from overflows, and we’re doing just that.

“We’re working round the clock, finding new and agile ways of delivering complex schemes quicker and this project in Atherstone is a great example of that.”

Severn Trent’s investment in Staffordshire includes:

• A £17 million project to improve the wastewater network
• A £3.7 million investment to upgrade an existing pumping station with new storage, meaning it will have the capacity to hold more sewage from the Silverdale area. A new combined sewer overflow will also screen wastewater to a higher standard to improve river health
• A £1.8 million project to install new storage tanks which will have the capacity to hold more sewage from the Great Chell area, as well as upgrades to an existing combined sewer overflow to screen wastewater to a higher standard to improve river health
• A £13.1 million investment to upgrade Tamworth Sewage Treatment Works to achieve a higher level of treatment and improve the health of the River Tame

Darby added: “We know just how important rivers are to everyone and they’re just as important to us. This series of work for Staffordshire is a really exciting step and compliments the existing things we’re doing in the area already as part of our bathing rivers projects and storm overflow action plan.

“Our customers can trust that we’re delivering what they’re after, and we’re doing it faster than anyone else. We’re looking forward to sharing more details of the work in Warwickshire soon.”

At the end of September 2023, just ahead of PR24 plans being published, the company raised £1 billion from investors to transform its network, reduce spills, improve river health and customer service.

The PR24 plan sets out to cut storm overflow spills and pollution incidents by 30%, as well as repeating the PR19 commitment to reduce leakage by 16% during the period, while creating 7,000 jobs.