Flush of quality treatment

02/10/2006

Work to upgrade a Country Durham sewage treatment works begins today.

Northumbrian Water is investing £1.2 million to upgrade Brancepeth sewage treatment works, located in the grounds of Brancepeth Golf Club, as part of the company’s five-year, billion-pound investment programme.

The work, which will take up to six months to complete, will treat wastewater to a higher standard and in turn improve the water quality of Stockley Beck, which is a tributary of the River Wear.

The current sewage treatment works, which is fifty years old and covers an area of 6000 square metres, is to be replaced with a compact package treatment plant, which will be partially underground and cover a smaller area of 1500 square metres.

Nigel Watts, Northumbrian Water’s project manager for the improvement scheme, said:  “The new sewage treatment works will have capacity to serve a growing population of up to 400 customers and will have minimal visual impact.  Once the work is complete, the site will be landscaped and we plan to re-use material from the site to do this, further protecting the environment.

“As part of this scheme we have also constructed a new access bridge to the sewage treatment works across Stockley Beck and we will be upgrading the access road to the site.”

During the course of the work it will be necessary for construction traffic to gain access to the sewage treatment works using The Village.  Customers who have any queries about the work should ring Northumbrian Water on 0845 717 1100.

While this work is carried out customers should be aware that bogus callers, people who claim to be from the ‘water board’ but who are only interested in stealing from vulnerable customers’ properties, operate in Northumbrian Water’s supply area. 

It is very unlikely that anyone from the water company will need to gain access into customers’ homes while this work is being carried out.  If customers are in any doubt of a caller claiming to be from the water company, they should not let them into their home.  They should ring the company’s customer centre to confirm the caller’s identity.

For further information contact Cara Hall on 0191 301 6720.