The village of Hamble near Southampton will be the latest area in Hampshire to benefit from Southern Water’s work to reduce storm overflows.

Engineers are currently surveying the water company’s network in the village ahead of carrying out work on the network and seeing what solutions will help drive down storm overflows.

The work in Hamble will focus on the School Lane storm overflow near Hamble Copse, with up to £2.42 million being spent on solutions to reduce storm overflows from the outfall.

One key aspect of the work is investment in technology to improve the way pumping stations work - this will involve harnessing artificial intelligence so there is real-time control of flows between the pumping stations and will also involve utilising storage within the network.

Engineering Lead from Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, Keith Herbert, said:

“We’re excited to start this work which will utilise technology and other solutions to help reduce storm overflows in this area.

“Hamble is a picturesque village, that attracts many visitors and we want to play our part in ensuring the Rivers and Seas around it are clean especially as they’re a crucial habitat for shellfish.”

The scheme is part of Southern Water’s wider £1.5 billion Clean Rivers and Seas Plan that aims to cut storm overflows across its region, which includes Hampshire, East and West Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight. 

The work follows £170 million investment in other areas of major storm overflow reduction activity at Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham.