A Derbyshire MP has met with Severn Trent to discuss flooding, sewer misuse and learn more about the company’s waste operations.

Jonathan Davies, MP for Mid Derbyshire visited Severn Trent’s Derby Sewage Treatment Works, receiving a tour of the site’s chemical-free treatment process and saw some of the weird-and-wonderful things that are removed from the sewer network.

Every day, the team at Derby Sewage Treatment Works remove up to 15 tonnes of rag – material such as wet wipes and sanitary products which have been flushed down the toilet – as well as odd items, from children’s toys to false teeth.

The tour was conducted by Severn Trent Customer Operations Director, Stephanie Cawley, along with Wastewater recycling Manager, David Thompson.

Alongside learning more about the works, which receives up to 3,500 litres of wastewater every second and returns fully treated wastewater back to the environment, the MP talked through topics including flooding and sewer misuse, which occurs when someone flushes anything other than toilet paper down the loo, or pours fats, cooking oils and grease down the sink, forming blockages.

Jonathan Davies MP said: “It was good to meet with Severn Trent to find out how it is addressing some of the issues I hear about from my constituents.

“Many of us perhaps do not think about what happens when we flush the toilet or take the plug out of the sink, so seeing this process and learning more about it was fascinating. I was also pleased to hear about the steps Severn Trent is taking to ensure water quality in rivers and streams is improved.”

The visit follows confirmation by Ofwat in December of Severn Trent’s plans to invest £15bn to 2030, £980m of which will be spent in Derbyshire.

Stephanie Cawley, Customer Operations Director at Severn Trent, said: “It’s really important that we’re able to meet with local MPs, take them through the process, talk about our plans for the future and understand what’s really important for their constituents.

“I’m glad that we were able to show them some of the items that have come from our sewers, as sewer misuse can be a major cause of blockages which can lead to really unpleasant sewer flooding.

“The next five years will see us make our largest ever investment, with £2bn of our £15bn that’s been agreed by Ofwat to be spent on improving river health. We’re taking our responsibilities to our communities seriously and are absolutely committed to delivering the things that our customers feel are most important to them.”

ENDS

Photo caption: L-R – Jonathan Davies MP; David Thompson, Severn Trent; Stephanie Cawley, Severn Trent; Dean Wright, Severn Trent