Water companies ordered to upgrade 140 wastewater treatment works

Water companies have been ordered to upgrade more than 140 wastewater treatment works to support the development of thousands of new homes across the UK.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a list of sites which it requires to be upgraded in areas covered by nutrient neutrality measures.

It said that the upgrades to the wastewater treatment works would reduce the mitigation requirements for new homes by ensuring water companies meet stringent nutrient removal standards in designated areas.

It added: “In Poole Harbour, Natural England’s advice has maximised the impact that upgrades will make in the catchment, which are so significant that they will reduce phosphorus to levels consistent with conservation objectives. This will help to recover this internationally important habitat for iconic birds such as avocets, spoonbills and black-tailed godwits.

“Natural England has therefore removed nutrient neutrality advice for phosphorus in the catchment altogether, meaning developers will only be required to mitigate for nitrogen pollution in future.

“It is expected that the combined impact of the upgrades to wastewater treatment works and the increased provision of nitrogen mitigation credits from Natural England and Dorset Local Planning Authority will enable thousands of new homes to be built in the area in the coming years.”

It comes alongside a range of government measures to improve water quality, as set out in its Plan for Water.

These include a ban on bonuses for water company executives where firms have committed serious criminal breaches, subject to Ofwat consultation, and plans to quadruple the Environment Agency’s regulatory capacity, enabling it to carry out 4,000 water company inspections by the end of this financial year.

The government has also scrapped the cap on civil penalties, enabling regulators to take action against polluters more swiftly and easily.

Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded more than 60 prosecutions, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies.

Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, said: “Upgrading wastewater treatment works is an important step forward in reducing pollution in some of our most important protected areas for wildlife.

“Development and nature recovery should be delivered hand-in-hand, and so addressing the issue of pollution at source will ensure we can continue to build more sustainable homes for the future.”