Firm invests £2m to tackle river sewage discharges

The additional storage was being built on the River Dearne in Barnsley, Yorkshire Water said

Work is under way to tackle sewage overflows on a river in Barnsley, Yorkshire Water has said.

The firm said it was investing £2m to build nearly 300 cubic metres of additional storage in the sewer network on the River Dearne near Barugh Green.

The project, which was aimed at slowing the flow of wastewater during prolonged or heavy rainfall, was expected to be finished in November, it added.

Mudassar Ahmed, from Yorkshire Water, said: “This storage project will mean a significant reduction in discharges to the River Dearne at Dearne Hall Road."

The storm water collected in the new storage tank would be held until the heavy rain stopped and it could then be treated, the firm said.

The storm water collected in the new storage tank would be held until heavy rain ended, Yorkshire Water said

In May last year, Nicola Shaw, Yorkshire Water's chief executive, apologised to customers for discharges into the region's rivers.

She announced the firm would spend a total of £180m to reduce sewage leaks from storm overflows.

Yorkshire Water said the new storage would reduce the number of discharges to the River Dearne from the overflow to about 10 a year.

Mr Ahmed, senior project manager at Yorkshire Water, said the project would "help to improve water quality in the river".

"This is a small part of our £180m investment and we are already looking further ahead, with more than £1bn investment planned between 2025-30, as we continue our commitment to reduce storm overflows."

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