Southern Water brought a helicopter in to deliver a new treatment tank to a Kent wastewater treatment works this week.

The unusual delivery to the company’s Bidborough site is part of a £1.25 million upgrade – the helicopter drop-off was needed because local roads were too narrow to accommodate a large lorry.

The tank – which will help boost treatment processes and improve the quality of the treated water leaving the site – had to first be picked up from a nearby farm, before being flown the final mile to Bidborough Wastewater Treatment Works.

The helicopter then hovered above the site and lowered the giant tank into place, ready for installation.

Southern Water’s project manager for the site, Chris Tinker, explained:

“We’re investing £1.25 million in new equipment to improve the quality of our treatment at Bidborough Wastewater Treatment Works.

“This tank will support a new system to remove phosphorus from treated water, and the delivery is a key milestone in continuing to improve the performance at this site.”

The tank, which is made of high-density polyethylene, weighs 985kg and is surrounded by a 545kg supportive and protective bund. Overall, the new tank measure 4.12 metres wide and 4.6 metres high.

Southern Water’s partner Bridges Limited led the tank delivery. Andy Bradley, Senior Project Manager at Bridges, said:

“This tank is spiral wound as opposed to sheet welded and this is basically like a large 3D printer.

“This gives it a seam free structure making it more robust. The tank is placed in a bund, which takes the contents of the tank, if it were to fail.”