Wessex Water is getting ready to start work on a multi-million pound investment in three schemes in Wiltshire, including a scheme of nearly £3 million to improve the sewer network in the centre of Bradford on Avon.

The work in the historic Wiltshire market town is part of a scheme to ensure the system can further cope with rapid increases in the flow of wastewater after heavy rainfall.

The protection of a picturesque stretch of river winding its way through Bradford on Avon will be stepped up later this year as a multi-million pound project to enhance the health of the waterway is launched.

More than 160,000 litres of additional storage will be built below ground to prevent the combined sewer - that transfers both foul water from people's homes and rainwater from downpipes and drains to a nearby water recycling centre for treatment - from overflowing to the River Avon when there is a heavy storm.

The new tank will allow the stored water to then be safely returned to the sewer system and onwards for treatment after the storm has receded.

Further improvements will see a mechanical screen installed to prevent any larger solid material from being discharged to the environment without having first gone through treatment.

Beginning in September, the new storm storage tank will be built below ground in the centre of Bradford on Avon, with the project expected to be completed by spring next year.

The scheme is part of Wessex Water’s £3 million a month investment to reduce how often storm overflows, which act as a relief valve to protect homes from flooding automatically discharging into rivers and the sea if there is too much rainfall in the system, operate.

Up to 92 improvement projects are taking place across in Bath, Bristol, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire before 2025 as part of the company’s Storm Overflows Improvement Plan.

In Devizes, a £1 million upgrade to pipes carrying water to homes and businesses will get under way in August, as the ongoing major investment in the network in Wiltshire continues to gather pace.

Work to replace cast-iron mains with plastic pipes to ensure a more reliable future water supply and reduce the risk of leaks will begin this summer – the first phase of a seven-figure overhaul of supply services throughout the historic market town over the next two years.

The extensive project will maintain Wessex Water’s commitment to improve water quality throughout its supply region, with more than £8 million a year currently being spent on replacing ageing water mains.

Already in 2023 a £250,000 project to re-lay more than a kilometre of water main in the village of Southwick to the west side of Trowbridge has been completed, with a further £500,000 also invested to upgrade supply pipes in the village of Staverton this year.

In total, more than two kilometres of pipes will be replaced throughout the centre of Devizes before April 2025.

Wessex Water's Director of Construction and Infrastructure Maintenance, Eddie Rant, said:

"In some cases, the ageing cast-iron water mains throughout Devizes are degrading and leaking, which causes quality issues such as discoloured water and poor pressure for our customers.

"By investing heavily in replacing them with new plastic pipes, we can ensure that the water supply is improved, more reliable and of a better quality for many years to come

“Throughout our region, we supply more than 282 million litres of water every day to 1.4 million customers and 44,000 businesses and we’re continuously investing in our supply network, by renewing ageing water mains and maintaining and improving facilities, as well as maintaining our targets for cutting leaks."

The opening phase of the Devizes project to replace supply pipes was due to get under way in early August - however, Wessex Water has agreed to push back the start of the work to accommodate the route of the town's carnival on 2 September.

The work, which will continue for 27 weeks before finishing in early March of next year, will be split, allowing one section to be completed and roads reopened before moving on to the next.

A further three phases will follow, from March, June and September of 2024 before the entire scheme is completed by April 2025.

Finally, the Water company’s major investment to improve water supply in west Wiltshire will take another step forward this summer as a £500,000 project to upgrade mains on the outskirts of Trowbridge is completed.

Nearly 500 metres of new water pipe will be laid near the village of Staverton in a five-month project to replace the degrading cast-iron main which has become prone to bursting.

The supply boost follows on from the £250,000 project to relay more than a kilometre of water main in the village of Southwick. The Staverton project will see a new pipe laid with the work taking place between July and December - the work is expected to finish by mid-December.