Nearly £30m is being spent on improving wastewater treatment works in the New Forest and parts of the Test Valley.

The programme of projects is taking place in Whiteparish, Lyndhurst, Romsey and Redlynch, but not at Ashurst Bridge where dozens of tankers have been lined up to ferry dirty water away before a burst sewer could be repaired. 

Southern Water say the improvements will 'further enhance our processes, with a new layer of treatment aimed at phosphorous and iron levels'. 

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They told the Daily Echo that it will bring with it greater environmental benefits for the local area, in support of new Environment Agency regulations.

Work is now underway at all of these sites and will be finished by December 2024. It will involve increased vehicle movements to each site. 

Project Manager for Southern Water, Daniela Pinto, said: "We’re keen to continue investing in our wastewater treatment works across our region and improve water quality. These works will help reduce storm overflows and also help the environment by reducing the amount of phosphorous in the water."

Daily Echo: Whiteparish Wastewater Treatment Works

The work to reduce storm overflows includes increasing capacity of sites so they can manage increased flows and a storm tank will be installed at Redlynch Wastewater Treatment Works.

The investment comes as Southern Water seeks feedback from the public and regulators on its new £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan that sets out how the company will reduce storm overflows.

The company is also planning to spend £3bn between 2020 and 2025 on improving its environmental performance.

The work is being carried out by GTb which is a joint venture between Galliford Try Environment and Binnies UK Ltd.

Derren Kinnell, Project Manager for GTb, added: "This is another collaborative project with Southern Water. By making these improvements and upgrading some of the existing equipment, Southern Water will be able to meet new targets.

“This work will involve increased vehicle movements to the site. We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience our work may cause to those people living in the area.”