Severn Trent explains river-cleaning project

Laura Greaves (left) from Severn Trent has been explaining the project

Severn Trent has been explaining its plans to clean the water in the River Leam in Warwickshire.

The company has said it will spend £78m to improve the river, and the River Teme in Shropshire, and it aims to achieve bathing quality status by 2025.

Laura Greaves, its assistant project manager, said she wanted to put herself in the shoes of people living near the river and offer them reassurance.

She said it would cause some disruption, but she believed there was a "clear benefit in the end".

Severn Trent held a community meeting at Leamington Cricket Club on Monday.

It said the work would involve the surface water and waste network, which in turn would benefit the River Leam.

The next phase of the work, which will take nine months, aims to improve the quality of its pipe network around Leamington and it will mean some road closures.

Ms Greaves said she understood people would have concerns, including about access to their properties.

One local, Amy Goswell, told the BBC that if the water was to achieve bathing water status she would be happy taking her child into the river.

"I'd probably take a dip too," she said.

Sam, an open water swimmer, said: "We were always advised not to fall in or if you did to keep your mouth closed because you never knew what might be in the water."

She said improving the water quality in the Leam would be a "big step forward".