Anglian Water’s @one Alliance is due to begin work in Holywell Row this month to increase the capacity of the sewer network, which will protect homes and the environment from flooding.

The project is part of a larger investment scheme of £100 million between 2020 and 2025 into improving the underground infrastructure across the Anglian Water region.

The water company is investing £1.4 million to increase the capacity of the sewer network by building a new underground storage tank in the field opposite Wildmere Lane. This will provide resilience to the extreme weather caused by climate change whilst protecting the local environment from flooding.

The new storage tank will be able to hold 390,000 litres (almost 5,000 baths worth) of water during heavy rainfall until the network frees up. After that, it will be transported through their pipes to the local water recycling centre to be fully treated before being returned safely back into the environment.

Work is due to begin on 24 June and is expected to be finished by autumn this year. None of the work will disrupt water supplies or toilet facilities and work will be taking place in the field on Wildmere Lane.

Some residents nearby will see and hear the work going on – however, the team will try their best to keep disruption at a minimum throughout the duration of the works.

Sarah Lovitt, Customer Experience Co-ordinator for this project said: “As a result of climate change, we’re seeing more bouts of extreme weather, sudden downpours and rising sea levels, so it's important that we're prepared to store extra storm water before it is treated and returned to the environment.

“Our teams will be working in the area this month and we expect to be completed by October this year. Due to the nature of these works, these dates may change slightly but we’ll be updating our dedicated web page should anything change.

“We’d like to thank our customers and residents of Holywell Row for their patience while we complete this essential work.”

Earlier this month, Anglian Water pledged an additional £100 million this year to fast-track work like this, creating a ‘spills taskforce’ across the East of England. The investment is in addition to nearly £80 million of investment, proposed to address storm overflows in Suffolk within the company’s 2025-2030 plan.

The money will be spent on things such as creating more capacity in Anglian Water’s network, storing excess water and treating it, as well as getting more boots on the ground and using natural solutions to protect rivers across the company's region.

More information and updates about the work can be found here.