Several communities across West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey are to become a hive of activity as Southern Water looks to reduce storm overflows.

Investigations have begun in Burgess Hill, Hailsham, Scaynes Hill and Chiddingfold to find nature-based and engineering solutions, with around £30 million set to be invested across these communities over the next five years.

In Hailsham, an area affected by high groundwater levels and flooding problems, work will take place to tackle groundwater infiltration into the sewer network, installing new sustainable drainage at Hailsham College and Victoria Road. The water company will also be exploring ways to further improve iits network across the area.

In Burgess Hill, Southern Water has carried out extensive surveys of storm overflows, pumping stations and the wider sewer network to identify the best ways to reduce storm overflow use. The findings will now be developed through further sewer investigations and sustainable drainage projects.

At Scaynes Hill and Chiddingfold, similar investigations are underway to inform improvement projects work planned over the next two years.

The work is part of Southern Water's £300 million investment across Sussex over the next five years to reduce storm overflows. Alongside these new projects, major improvement programmes are continuing in Bognor and Lidsey, while almost 16km of sewer sealing has been completed across the Lavant Valley to prevent groundwater entering the network. This can be a major contributor in some areas to overflow releases.

Programme Delivery Lead for the Central area for Southern Water, Andy Morris said:

"Reducing storm overflows is complex, and requires a detailed understanding of how each catchment works. These investigations are an important first step in the process of creating cleaner rivers and seas.

“Communities in these areas will see more of our teams out and about carrying investigations, which will help us understand what work can make a significant difference over the next two years to create long lasting environmental improvements.”