Storm discharges into village's river to decrease

Storm overflow pipes stop sewage entering homes during prolonged rain

A total of £1.4m is to be spent reducing the number of storm "overflows" into a North Yorkshire river.

When heavy rainfall causes surface water to run into the sewers, overflows are discharged into waterways to prevent flooding in residential areas or waste backing up.

Yet the practice by water companies has proved unpopular with environmental campaigners, who have raised awareness of pollution levels in rivers and coastal areas.

Yorkshire Water said the construction of its new surface water drainage system would allow storm run-offs to go directly into the River Derwent at Scrayingham rather than pass through the sewer network.

£180m investment

The utility company estimated that the work, which is due to be completed later this year, would reduce the village's discharges into the Derwent by up to 35%.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place on Main Street during work and will be fitted with sensors to keep traffic flowing.

Project manager Martin Ineson said: “We recently met with the parish council to talk them through our plans and it was great to see such enthusiasm for this work to go ahead.

“We are committed to reducing storm overflows across Yorkshire and are investing £180m by April 2025 to tackle the issue and improve water quality in our rivers and at our coast."

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