Wessex Water has invested £7 million to upgrade and safeguard the water distribution system in the north of the county.

The utility’s teams moved on to a rural water treatment centre just south of Malmesbury to set about upgrading equipment at the site, helping to safeguard the quality and resilience of the provision to local villages.

The first phase of the project was completed by September 2024, ensuring that local supplies will continue uninterrupted while the upgrade is proceeding.

Further improvements to equipment and infrastructure in the area will get under way this summer and continue for the next two years.

Programme manager Kirstie Hearn said:

“Wessex Water gets more than 80 per cent of its drinking water from groundwater sources, so centres such as these are important sites within our distribution network in the north of our region.

"The tower there, which along with a service reservoir nearby, receives water from its onsite balancing tank and provides supplies to north Wiltshire communities, including many local towns and villages.

"We planned this scheme carefully to ensure that supply will be maintained to our local customers throughout the two-and-a-half year span of the work.

"This project will allow us to ensure resilient water supply even in the event that one of the water sources needs to be shut down for maintenance or quality issues"

Wessex Water’s multi-million pound investment in the rural water treatment centre and water tower close to Malmesbury will ensure a resilient water supply for communities in north Wiltshire.

Looking to AMP8, the water company plans to almost double its overall investment to £4.2 billion in the next five years to address a wide range of issues. These include replacing ageing pipes, building new assets and ensuring security of supply to cope with growing demands of population growth and challenges of climate change.

Wessex Water is one of six companies who has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to review the final decision on its AMP8 Business Plan on how much the company can invest in vital water and sewerage improvements over the next five years.

Ofwat's final decision on the plan allowed for £4.2 billion of total expenditure – 17% short of what the company’s own calculations had shown were required to meet its obligations and customers’ expectations, and support growth in the region.