Water firm says 700 sewage spills stopped in a year
BBCA water firm has said its work to cut storm overflows has prevented more than 700 sewage spills from entering waterways in the past year.
Southern Water said reducing the amount of rainwater entering sewers formed part of its £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan.
Nick Mills, the company's environment and innovation director admitted there was still a lot of work to do as, on average, it has about 20,000 spills a year.
The claims come as water bills are set to rise by an average increase of £2.70 a month from April - meaning Southern Water customers' bills have risen by about 50% in five years.
John Milne the Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham, said: "It is incredibly hard to expect people to pay for something that they already paid for over the last 10 years in their bills."
He believes there is a "trust issue" with Southern Water and water companies across the country.
He said: "They are saying they are cured now, they are saying they are reformed but we really need to see the hard evidence.
"They need to prove it first and then say it afterwards."
Storm overflows are used when heavy rain or rising groundwater overwhelms the sewer network.
Southern Water said reducing the amount of rainwater entering sewers was key to long‑term improvement.
It said more than £70m had already been spent on sustainable drainage, sewer upgrades and AI technology, with action now under way at 95 environmentally-sensitive sites.
It added that in Hampshire more than 200 homes in Fareham and Gosport have roof drainage diverted away from the sewer system and major work was taking place in Portsmouth Harbour to reduce storm overflows.
It added that it has been conducting sewer sealing near Andover, large‑scale separation of rainwater from foul sewers in Cosham and Drayton.
Last year the company discovered a leaking sewer under Southsea pier and an illegal wastewater connection from a block of flats in Southampton, both of which have since been fixed.
It said that on the Isle of Wight, upgrades in Cowes have prevented 57 spills, storage at Appley Pumping Station has been quadrupled, and 4,000 water butts, 200 raingardens and six permeable driveways had been installed to keep surface water out of sewers.
The company has said it would invest £341m on 93 storm overflows across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight over the next five years.
In Sussex, where the firm said a "mechanical failure" led to a two hour wastewater spill last year, it plans to spend £300m.
Aimee Felus from Western Sussex River Trust said the group understood mechanical faults happen but it would like to see spills eliminated altogether.
"That might not be completely achievable but we need to work really hard to get as close to zero as possible," she said.
The sewer network was put under pressure at the start of the year following heavy rainfall in January and February, which led to spills in the River Itchen.
Mills said the early progress showed Southern Water's approach was working but warned the challenge was "complex" and made harder by climate change and population growth.
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