A 12km pipeline will link the plant to Foreness Point

The company has said it will build the treatment centre alongside an existing plant at Weatherlees, near Richborough, in Thanet.

Original plans for a plant at Foreness Point, where sewage is currently pumped out to sea, have been abandoned.

The U-turn follows residents' campaigns against building in an area known for its outstanding natural beauty.

Twelve kilometre pipeline

Southern Water will still use Foreness Point, which is also a site of special scientific interest known for spectacular chalk stacks and bird wildlife, to pump sewage out to sea.

On Friday, they said if the plans are approved it would be linked to the Weatherlees plant by a 12 kilometre pipeline.

At the moment the sewage, which is pumped into the sea around Margate and Broadstairs, has minimal chemical treatment.

But EU water quality legislation has changed the requirements and has increased the amount of treatment needed so a processing plant has to be built.

A planning application for the Weatherlees treatment plant will be made in the spring following a public consultation.