Scarborough pollution: Yorkshire Water to invest £2.8m in bid to reduce storm overflows

The investment was intended to be done after 2025 but has been brought forward.

The work will take place in Wheatcroft and will reduce discharges from the Wheatcroft combined sewer overflow so that there are a maximum of two discharges per bathing water season, which runs from March to September, and ten discharges per year.

The investment will meet the Government’s target for this overflow well ahead of the 2035 deadline.

In the 2023 season, overflows operated across the Yorkshire coast for less than 1% of the time but Yorkshire Water (YW) is committed to reducing this even further.

YW will be increasing storage within the network to slow the flow of wastewater during periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall.

Modelling of the system has indicated increased storage will reduce the discharges to two per bathing water season.

Designs will be finalised in the new year and work is expected to begin in April 2024 and be completed ahead of the 2025 bathing water season.

The work will complement other planned improvements from all stakeholders.

Ben Roche, director of wastewater at Yorkshire Water, said: “Tackling storm overflows is a priority for us and this project in Wheatcroft is just a small part of our wider plans, which have been submitted to Ofwat for approval, to invest £1.4bn to reduce discharges into rivers and seas by 2030.

“We know across all Yorkshire’s bathing waters that there is more to do to improve water quality.

"We continue to work with North Yorkshire Council and the Environment Agency to identify the opportunities to improve the water quality in the South Bay at Scarborough but want to ensure that storm overflows aren’t the issue.”

Sir Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said: “This is great news and comes on top of other major investments in our area such as, the four million litre storm water tank at the south end of Marine Drive.

“When we get heavy rain, the drainage system can be overwhelmed resulting in expectable discharges.

"This investment will bring this outfall back within parameters set by the Government, resulting in better bathing water quality.”