Severn Trent announces £4.5 million project at Coaley Sewage Works

Water supply company Severn Trent says it is planning to invest £4.5 million at Coaley Sewage Treatment Works which is located near Cam and Dursley train station.

Officials believe that once the work is completed, the authority will be able to treat more flow and will help 'improve the health' of the River Cam.

It comes amid the public outcry against sewage dumps and concern over river pollution levels in recent years.

In 2014, more than 200 fish were killed in the river, which flows through Cambridge, Cam, and into Dursley.

According to Environment Agency data, the Coaley station also spilled sewer storm overflow for 661 hours in 2021.

The major scheme has been welcomed by MP Siobhan Baillie and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Elsewhere, Severn Trent is also working on improvements in Stroud as part of a major scheme costing £25 million with works currently taking place on the A419 Ebley Bypass.

It also comes when thousands of homes could eventually be built in the area - including in Sharpness, Wisloe and Cam.

Severn Trent says it is planning to invest £4.5 million at Coaley Sewage Treatment Works (Image: Google)

Siobhan Baillie MP said: "While many companies are now acting following extraordinary government pressure for water companies to clean up their act.

"To be fair to Severn Trent they were already investing £25 million to replace old sewage pipes so we are slightly ahead.

"This investment will lead to a cleaner River Cam - something everyone wants to see happen.

"Water company use of sewage overflows has been going on for decades and is completely unacceptable.

"I am pleased that we are leading on this now."

Dursley GP and Labour parliamentary election candidate Dr Simon Opher said: "I welcome this improvement for the River Cam in Coaley and the works going on in Stroud but we need to see much more on this.

"Under the Conservatives, water companies have been allowed to get away with under-investing in their infrastructure and the public are quite rightly fed up with sewage in our rivers.

"I have been raising water quality issues for some time so I welcome another substantial investment by Severn Trent locally."

Labour parliamentary candidate Dr Simon Opher and Siobhan Baillie MP have both welcomed the investment at Coaley Sewage Treatment Works (Image: Newsquest)

A Defra spokesperson said: "We welcome this much-needed investment from Severn Trent to improve river health in Gloucestershire.

"The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable which is why we are taking tough action to hold polluters to account.

"This includes by announcing a consultation to ban water bosses' bonuses when criminal breaches have occurred, quadrupling water company inspections and fast-tracking £180m investment by water companies to cut spills."

Chief engineer Bob Stear from Severn Trent said: "This is a huge long-term investment plan for Gloucestershire, improving storm overflows and bringing benefits to rivers now and during the coming years.

"The announcement marks another significant milestone in our drive to deliver real improvements in river health.

"We know there is still more to do, which is why this investment is so important not just to us, but to our region's rivers and the communities they serve."

Over 200 fish were killed in the polluted River Cam during an incident in 2014 - photo by Dave Throup