City centre reed beds could ease sewage in sea

The project is part of a wider plan to change the city centre

Plymouth is hoping to reduce the amount of sewage polluting the sea by collecting rainwater in underground tanks in the heart of the city and filtering it through reed beds.

The clean water would then be used to water plants and trees along Armada Way.

The city council said the solar-powered project would ease the pressure on the old sewer system that was built in the 1940s

The council said every time it rained, the sewers overflowed and dumped dirty water into the Sound.

Reed beds will filter water as it flows to the sea

"Our proposed innovative system will remove that pressure," said Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, cabinet member for environment and climate change.

"The large underground tanks already exist and have been there for a number of years.

“The new system will also enable the watering of the new and existing trees on Armada Way, and it will reduce the amount of muck and pollution being pushed out into the Sound."

There are plans to plant 200 new trees to replace those felled earlier this year.

Bruce Newport, from the Environment Agency, said it was an "excellent opportunity to ensure Armada Way can manage surface water sustainably".

The council is consulting the public on the proposals, which are part of a wider plan to transform the city centre.

The project could reduce sewage pollution in Plymouth Sound, said the city council