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Lyme Regis

We’re investing to improve bathing water quality

Providing you with better water quality

We’re investing to reduce the use of storm overflows in Lyme Regis, helping to improve water quality in local rivers and the sea. This major investment in Lyme Regis is part of our £760 million Turning the Tide programme, to improve water quality across the region.

Why do we have storm overflows?

Storm overflows act like safety valves when the wastewater system becomes overwhelmed, typically following heavy rainfall. Excess wastewater is released from storm overflows to prevent the system from backing up and overflowing in people’s homes and workplaces.

We want to use storm overflows less by finding solutions so more wastewater can be stored and treated without being released into the environment.

To ensure our solutions are effective, we survey a local area to understand factors that cause overflows to be used. We’ve surveyed Lyme Regis to help inform several projects aimed at reducing storm overflow use in the area.

Separating combined sewers  

Keeping surface water from rainfall out of the main sewers will make it less likely we need to use storm overflows. We’re making a new surface water drainage network, so this water is separated from the flows that need full sewage treatment.

To do this, we’ll dig trenches and lay new pipes under roads. This will help improve local water quality in rivers and the sea by reducing storm overflow use. It will also help to reduce flooding risk.

In November 2025, we’ll start work in:

  • Colway Lane
  • Sommers Lane
  • Clappentail Lane
  • Sidmouth Road
  • West Hill Road
  • Haye Close
Picture of a storm tank
Some of the things we're doing
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Increasing storm storage

At times of high rainfall the water flow into our treatment works currently hits levels well above capacity. So, by increasing storm storage capacity, we plan to reduce the number of times wastewater is discharged straight into water courses (rivers, sea etc) through storm overflows – down to 17.5 spills per year in any one location by 2030.

More about storm overflows
Picture of works to separate sewers
Some of the things we're doing
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Separating combined sewers

To further help control the amount of wastewater ending up at our treatment works, we’re separating surface water (rainwater) from the foul sewerage. The surface water is released into watercourses with minimal treatment, freeing up the treatment works to more efficiently treat foul sewage from homes and businesses.

New storm tank storage

We’re constructing five new storm tanks to store excess water during heavy rain before it’s treated. This will make it less likely that we’ll need to use storm overflows.

These storm tanks will be constructed in:

  • Cobb Gate
  • Goslings Bridge
  • Jericho
  • Horn Bridge
  • Mill Lane

Programme of works

  Date Activity
August – September 2025 Trial holes and investigations begin
November 2025 – October 2026 Surface water separation works
March 2026 – March 2027 Storm tank construction
Dates TBC Uplyme Sewage Treatment Works upgrades.