Huge tank to stop sewage overflow into river

The tank is underneath Victory Field in Bradford on Avon

A huge below-ground storage tank of 160,000 litres has been installed to reduce the chance of sewage overflowing into a river.

Wessex Water has invested £2m into the scheme in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, to lower the number of times the sewer system would have to spill into the River Avon when there is a heavy storm.

Water companies have been heavily criticised recently for overflow into watercourses.

Wessex Water project manager Alex Aulds thanked local people for their patience and explained teams will "continue to commission and test the new system throughout the summer".

It should reduce overflows into the River Avon running through the town

The tank is in the centre of the town at Victory Field, so the company said it supported the local youth football club as it lost the use of its pitch during the build.

It will reduce the times the combined sewer system - which transfers both foul water from people’s homes and rainwater to a nearby water recycling centre for treatment - from overflowing to the river when there is a heavy storm.

The stored water will then be safely returned to the sewer system and onwards for treatment after the storm has receded.

There was also a mechanical screen installed to prevent any larger, solid material from being discharged without going through treatment first.

It is one of 13 projects the company wants to complete before 2025 to tackle the overflows.

Mr Aulds said: “We’re pleased to have completed construction work on time as part of our £3m a month investment towards reducing the instances of storm overflows operating across our region."

Wessex Water said nearly 100 improvement projects are taking place across Bath, Bristol, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire before 2025 as part of the company’s Storm Overflows Improvement Plan.

It is waiting to hear about a decision by industry regulators on proposals to invest £400m into reducing overflows between 2025 and 2030.