Sewage treatment facility undergoing £21m upgrade

The Cirencester Sewage Treatment Works site is being upgraded

A £21m upgrade is being carried out at a sewage treatment facility.

Thames Water, which supplies to many areas in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, has invested the money into its Cirencester Sewage Treatment Works (STW).

The company said the upgrade aims to improve the quality of effluent released at the facility, increase the site's capacity and reduce the risk of discharges during wet weather.

It comes as part of the company's plans to improve 250 of their wastewater sites around the country.

The Cirencester STW can currently treat up to 269 litres (59 gallons) of wastewater per second, but after the upgrade, the capacity will be 484 litres (106 gallons) per second.

A new 9,000 sq m filtration system is also being installed, which will treat an extra 114 litres (31 gallons) of waste per second.

Thames Water is improving 250 waste sites around the country

Paul Parfrey, Project Manager at Thames Water said he is "pleased" to be improving the facility for residents and businesses in the local network.

“As custodians of this important infrastructure we need to ensure our sites are resilient to the pressures of climate change and population growth so we can continue to provide reliable services to our customers.

"This upgrade to our network will help protect customers and the health of the rivers and waterways," he added.

The work is expected to be completed in Spring.