New pipe to reduce sewage spills into Cheltenham river

Alex Chalk MP visited the site where the new pipe will be installed

A new waste pipe is being installed in an attempt to reduce the number of sewage spills into a river.

Severn Trent Water have started an engineering project to improve water in the River Chelt, a tributary of the Severn in Gloucestershire.

They have said the new pipe could reduce sewage spills by 90%, meaning less untreated sewage would go into waterways.

It is part of Severn Trent Water's plan to invest £12.9bn across their network.

The area has a combined sewerage system, meaning both rainwater and wastewater from toilets, bathrooms and kitchens, are carried in the same pipes.

In heavy rain, the amount of water in the system can mean it overflows, causing sewage to go into rivers.

In recent years, scrutiny and monitoring of overflow systems by campaigners, charities and the government has caused significant public backlash.

'Worst cases first'

Severn Trent spokesperson, Andrew Fairburn said they were doing the project for the River Chelt because they were picking the worst-affected places first.

He explained the pipe would increase the system's capacity to cope with intense rain.

"We're increasing the capacity of our sewage network, it has generally got ample capacity to handle sewage but it needs more capacity to handle the increasing amount of rainfall we're expecting.

"The way we do it is on a prioritisation basis, we'll deal with the worst cases first. We understand the problem and we're investing to tackle it," he added.

Andrew Fairburn said Severn Trent are investing billions to tackle sewage spills

Cheltenham MP and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk pushed Severn Trent to help fix sewage pollution in the River Chelt.

He said: "It's clear to me and indeed, people in Cheltenham that [river pollution] is no longer acceptable."

The Conservative minister insisted the water quality of rivers in Gloucestershire had started to improve.

Mr Chalk added: "In the past the fines were not sufficiently stringent, I think that's a reasonable point, but we have totally changed that, no longer can it be considered a cost of doing business, now it would sufficiently hurt."

Severn Trent are aiming for the upgrade work to be completed by early February 2024.

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