South West Water has started work on the next phase of a £12 million project in Sidmouth to improve the town’s sewage network, reduce the use of storm overflows and protect the quality of its bathing waters.
Construction is underway to build a new storm storage tank at The Ham in Sidmouth to reduce the impact the town’s sewerage system is having on the environment and reduce spills to a maximum of ten per overflow per year.
Once complete, the new tank will have 100,000 litres of storage and will capture excess flows during heavy rainfall, holding them safely until there is capacity in the sewer network for full treatment.
This will help to reduce storm overflow spills from The Ham Pumping Station and safeguard water quality at Sidmouth Town Beach, which has consistently received “Excellent” bathing water status.
To allow the work to take place safely, The Ham will be closed for recreational use from December 2025 until the works are completed, which is expected to be around June 2026.
The work follows the first phase of improvements made by South West Water in 2024 to reduce groundwater entering the network in Sidmouth. The company’s dedicated teams surveyed 8,475 metres of sewer and relined 604 metres of sewer, as well as 32 manholes.
Relining sewers reduces the amount of groundwater entering the local network during wet weather which can otherwise overwhelm the treatment works and lead to a storm overflow spill. An initial inspection of the sewers is carried out by CCTV surveys to identify areas that are impacted by groundwater.
The upgrades mean the network is now performing more efficiently during heavy rainfall, reducing the likelihood of storm overflows and supporting better water quality for the local community and the environment.
Once the upgrades to the storm tank and the pumping station are complete, South West Water will be carrying out works to separate sewage from surface rainwater in Sidmouth. The reduction of storm overflows into watercourses and bathing waters during periods of heavy rainfall is a priority for South West Water and a major focus of its £3.2 billion record investment to 2030.
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