South West Water is set to begin work this autumn on a major investment project in Lyme Regis to help reduce the use of storm overflows and protect the quality of its bathing waters.
The company is building three new storm tanks at Horn Bridge, Jericho and at Lyme Regis Sewage Treatment Works which will provide an additional 670,000 litres of storm storage.
Once complete, the new tanks will capture excess flows during heavy rainfall, holding them safely until there is capacity at the treatment works for full treatment. The tanks are due to be completed by March 2027.
In addition, South West Water will also be installing a new surface water drainage network across parts of Lyme Regis which will see engineers dig trenches, lay new pipes under roads, and reconnect existing gullies to the new network. This will create a dedicated route for surface water from roads and roofs, to reduce the amount of water entering the sewer network and reduce the risk of storm overflows.
The new parts of the network will help to keep rainwater separate from wastewater, preventing the sewer network from becoming overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.
The works, which will take place across Lyme Regis in late 2026, will help improve local water quality in rivers and the sea by reducing storm overflow use. They will also help to reduce the risk of flooding.
The scheme forms part of the company’s £760 million Turning the Tide programme which is reducing storm overflows and protecting the South West’s rivers and seas.
Kakha Tatelishvili, Programme Manager at South West Water, said:
“Protecting the environment and improving water quality are priorities for South West Water, and this investment in Lyme Regis is an important part of our £760 million Turning the Tide programme.
“By separating surface water from wastewater and increasing capacity, we can reduce the need for storm overflows to operate and build a more resilient network that is better prepared for the future.
In a separate project, South West Water completed works this month to build a new storm storage tank in Sidmouth as part of a major project by to improve the town’s sewage network and reduce the use of storm overflows.
The new underground tank has been built beneath The Ham. It provides 100,000 litres of additional storage, will capture excess flows during periods of heavy rainfall and store them until there is capacity at the treatment works for full treatment.
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