The water company is investing £8 million in sewer network upgrades that will protect the environment in a County Durham village. Northumbrian Water is carrying out two projects in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, that will reduce the frequency of spills from local storm overflows, protecting and improving water quality in the Chester Burn and Cong Burn, as well as watercourses downstream.

The first piece of work will see upgrades to the network around Pelton Community Primary School and is being timed with the school holidays, to minimise disruption.

As well as new sewer pipes being installed, additional underground stormwater storage will be constructed, further reducing the chances of combined sewage and rainwater overfilling the network during periods of heavy rainfall.

This will be followed in the autumn by the start of work on land south of The Wynd, which will see similar upgrades carried out, running through to late summer 2026.

The work, which is being carried out by Northumbrian Water’s partner, Avove, will reduce spills from two storm overflows by more than 65%, to an average of less than ten per year. Storm overflows act as relief valves in combined sewer networks – those that carry both sewage and rainwater – protecting homes and businesses from flooding at times of heavy rainfall.

Christopher Bond, Project Manager at Northumbrian Water, said:

“This investment will benefit the environment around Pelton, by significantly reducing spills from the sewer network to the Chester Burn and Cong Burn. We know that this work will be very visible in and around Pelton over the coming year, so we are working to ensure customers feel informed early and remain updated for the duration of the project.

“Our investment here in Pelton is part of a wider £1.7billion environmental programme across the coming five years, which will see us working to reduce spills from 239 storm overflows, with more to come in the following years.”

Colin Butler, Framework Director at Avove, commented:

“This is a significant project, which will help to reduce spills in the local network, utilising our infrastructure and engineering expertise to achieve the project’s objectives in a timely manner. Its delivery in Pelton not only demonstrates our agility and commitment to working with the local community but marks the beginning of a strong and collaborative partnership with Northumbrian Water.”

Northumbrian Water has also recently completed a £925,000 project to reduce sewer spills and protect the environment in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. The work involved separating parts of the sewer network from the drains that carry surface water, in order to reduce the number of spills from a nearby storm overflow (SO).

The investment will help protect and improve water quality in the Coal Burn, as well as the River Wear, downstream, by reducing spills from that SO by more than 80%, to a maximum of ten a year on average.

The work started in January and has been carried out by Northumbrian Water’s partner, Esh-Stantec.