Severn Trent has begun work to connect a number of properties onto the main sewerage system and building two new sewage pumping stations in Calf Heath, close to Four Ashes in Wolverhampton.

The scheme is part of a £800,000 investment in the area to reduce the risk of pollution and harm to the environment.

Gareth Mead, from Severn Trent explained:

“Work is well underway now to lay nearly a mile of sewer pipes and install the new sewage pumping stations. This significant investment, which will mean that homes in the area, will no longer have to use old unreliable septic tanks. This will greatly improve local drainage and better protect the environment, helping to prevent pollution.”

The work, which will be carried out by Severn Trent Water’s contract partner, Amey, is expected to last until April 2016.

In other news, last week a Severn Trent Water team targeted sewer pipes in Bewdley, Worcestershire, a “hotspot area” which the water company said has seen “huge numbers” of blockages.

Grant Mitchell, customer and community lead at Severn Trent, said:

“We know there are areas in our region where the number of sewer blockages is too high and Bewdley is one of those places, particularly the town centre.  We decided that enough was enough and decided to go out and tackle the whole area in one go, so various teams descended on the area last week.  During this exercise we found and cleared six blockages from the town centre and, on investigation, we found that the vast majority of these were caused solely by misuse.”