A partnership between Anglian Water and North Northamptonshire Council’s Highways team has helped protect the environment in Thorpe Malsor by reducing the risk of pollution after legacy connections were discovered within the local wastewater network.
Together, the water company and the Council have invested over £1 million to improve drainage capacity in the area, bringing long term benefits for customers and the environment during periods of heavy rainfall.
Following investigations into environmental spills in Thorpe Malsor, Anglian Water’s local technicians identified a number of historic highways road gullies, which collect rainwater runoff, connected into the foul sewer network in the North Northamptonshire village.
In Thorpe Malsor, extra surface water was entering pipes designed to carry wastewater, putting additional pressure on the system and increasing the risk of overflows into the environment.
Further investigations by Anglian Water’s specialist Misconnections Team and Complex Investigation and Resolution team identified 15 historic connections from highways road gullies into the foul water sewer. While these connections were originally installed appropriately, changes in the local area over time meant the additional flow from these gullies was now placing too much pressure on the local wastewater treatment processes.
Since April 2025, the connections had contributed to more than 30 spills in the village.
Anglian Water worked closely with local stakeholders and North Northamptonshire Highways team to investigate the issue and develop a long-term solution.
Through a collaborative effort between both organisations, the historic highway connections were removed from the foul sewer network through a scheme delivered by North Northamptonshire Council’s Highways Team
The works involved redirecting new, road gullies and the village’s trough, commonly known as a natural spring, into a new surface water drain. This solution prevents rainwater from entering the foul sewer and reduces pressure on the system during heavy rainfall.
Paul Louth, Director of Water Recycling at Anglian Water, said:
“There are lots of factors that can contribute to sewer spills, not all of them within Anglian Water’s control, so collaborative work like this project in Thorpe Malsor is crucial to addressing the problem.
“Working closely with North Northamptonshire Council’s Highways team to identify the issues in Thorpe Malsor has enabled us to create a solution that will reduce spills in the area for customers and the environment. The joint investment and proactive work means that spills will be reduced to fewer than 10 a year.”
Cllr Chris McGiffen, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Highways and Travel, said:
“This is an excellent example of partnership working in action - our teams came together with Anglian Water to make a considerable long-term improvement to the area.
Alex Hill at Kier Infrastructure commented:
“This project demonstrated the value of collaboration to enable us to overcome complex site challenges. Despite working in a highly constrained environment with multiple buried services, the team remained focused on delivering the works safely and efficiently."
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