A £659,000 project to deliver even cleaner seas off Teignmouth gets under way today as South West water starts work constructing a 500 cubic metre underground storage tank in the town.

The additional storm water storage capacity will reduce the number of discharges from the sewerage network during extremely wet weather. The project is designed to improve bathing water quality at Teignmouth ahead of the European Union's revised Bathing Water Directive, which comes into effect in 2015.

Senior Project Manager Mike Court said:

"We believe that, with the help of the local community, this major investment will help deliver even cleaner seas for Teignmouth, in time for the new European bathing water standards next year.

Mike Court also flagged up the need to ensure that properties are correctly connected to the foul drainage system. Investigations by the Environment Agency and South West Water have identified that homes with plumbing that is incorrectly connected into the surface water system are a source of faecal pollution to some of the bathing waters in the South West.

The firm has invested more than £2billion to transform bathing water quality across the region over the past 20 years. In 2014/15 South West Water is spending up to £20 million on a range of schemes to improve bathing water quality at Lyme Regis, Teignmouth, Torbay, Mothecombe, Seaton (Cornwall), Looe and Combe Martin in preparation for the European Union's revised bathing water directive

The investment is being financed from South West Water's own resources and does not impact on the average household bill. South West Water said it is the only water company committed to this early investment.

In its business plan for 2015-20, which is due for final approval by Ofwat next month, the firm said it is planning to make significant further investment to deliver more bathing water improvements.