Severn Trent’s kicked off an accelerated £450m region-wide programme of investment, where once complete, spills from storm overflows will reduce by 20% a year.

The company has committed to going further and faster, to reduce the use of overflows and has embarked on a programme of work at 900 locations to be completed across the Midlands this year alone.

A series of unique projects have started across the Midlands, with some  already completed, including the installation of two storage tanks in Daventry at Braunston Wastewater Treatment Works, that will hold and store more rainwater – reducing the need for overflows and spills. The tanks are 2.5m high and can hold an additional 100,000 of water between them.

Overflows are designed to protect homes and businesses from flooding during heavy rainfall, however Severn Trent know they need to do more to reduce the effect on local rivers. This accelerated work is supporting it’s £4.4bn investment across the Midlands alone, to reduce the impact from storm overflows by 2050 – allowing benefits to be seen quicker.

Mike Haydon from Severn Trent said: “Our customers want us to go as quickly as possible to reduce spills from overflows, and we’re doing just that. We’re working round the clock, finding new and agile ways of delivering complex schemes quicker, and this project in Braunston a great example of that. This is the fastest Design and Delivery process we have ever undertaken, and incorporates colleagues from across our business. 

“By installing more storage, we’re increasing capacity that reduces the use of overflows – which is exactly what we’re setting out to do. To keep going at pace, we’re looking to install more storage solutions, make more improvements to our network, and deliver more schemes across Leicestershire at speed to reach out target of reducing spills by 20% this year alone.”

Mike said: “We know just how important rivers are to everyone and they’re just as important to us. This series of work is a really exciting step and compliments the existing things we’re doing in the area. Our customers can trust that we’re delivering what they’re after, and we’re doing it faster than anyone else. We’re looking forward to sharing more details of the work soon.”

Severn Trent has been recognised as an industry leader when it comes to environmental performance, achieving the Environment Agency’s highest four-star rating for four years running. It is confident of securing this for an unprecedented fifth year later in July 2024.