Sponsored Editorial

Southern Water Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Gosden outlines the Clean Rivers and Seas Plan that aims to address the problems that local communities in Kent face from storm overflows.

Read the below statement from Mr Gosden in full:

As CEO of Southern Water, I’m committed to improving our environmental performance. We have a long-term strategy to restore and protect our regions’ rivers and coastal habitats; part of this will address storm overflows.

We can't simply stop storm overflows. They are emergency outlets acting as the last line of defence to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed by rain or groundwater – something we’re seeing more frequently due to climate change.

We've got around a thousand storm overflows in our region, and half are already meeting the Government’s 2050 targets, spilling less than ten times a year. We now have a plan to tackle the rest.

Our new Clean Rivers and Seas Plan proposes a record £1.5 billion to address the root cause of storm overflows - combining nature-based solutions with infrastructure improvements. By 2035, 75% of our high priority overflows will be meeting Government targets, reducing spills by an average of 8,000 a year, and almost 80% reduction in spills in bathing water and shellfish areas.

Kent is home to three pathfinder projects testing nature-based solutions. We’ve invested £25 million to upgrade Swalecliffe Wastewater Treatment Works; Canterbury will see a further investment of around £60 million on 6,000 customer water butts and 4,000 ‘slow the flow’ measures for local businesses, schools and care homes. We’re introducing drainage schemes on around 300 driveways and approximately 1,400 sustainable roadside drainage solutions.

Collaboration with customers and local authorities is key. We must balance delivering what our customers want and minimising impact on their bills. That’s why we’re asking customers for feedback on our plans. Together we can build a sustainable water future.

Find out more about our Clean Rivers and Seas Plan and to share your feedback here.