Lytchett Matravers wetland aims to filter sewage from overflow

Diluted sewage flowed from the pumping station for 376 hours in 2022

A water company is creating a wetland habitat to help filter sewage overflows from one if its pumping stations.

Wessex Water plans to transform agricultural land south of its Bulbury Lane pumping station at Lytchett Matravers in Dorset.

Company data shows sewage flowed from the facility for 376 hours in 2022.

In a planning application, approved by Dorset Council, the firm said the plan "offered a more sustainable solution than additional pump storage".

There are around 15,000 storm overflows in England which discharge wastewater during times of heavy rainfall to prevent the outdated sewerage system becoming overwhelmed.

According to Wessex Water's storm overflow data, the Bulbury Lane facility leaked wastewater and "sewage litter" into a tributary of the Sherford River, which feeds into nearby Poole Harbour, on 37 days last year.

The wetland will extend south of the pumping station

Wessex Water said, in addition to the wetland, it was also investing £1.6m to upgrade the pumping station.

In the planning application, the company said: "The proposed development will significantly improve the ecological status of the downstream waterbodies and reduce the risk of future water quality problems within the catchment and Poole Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest."

The wetland of several interlocking pools will be built on a privately-owned four-hectare (10-acre) site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Each pool will trap sediment from the overflows until the wastewater reaches a wet woodland at the bottom of the site before entering the watercourse.

A spokesperson said: "It has the added benefit of increasing biodiversity, providing prime habitats for birds, invertebrates and other wildlife."

Work begins next month and will take three months to complete.

The company said it was investing £3m a month to reduce storm overflows across the region.