Image description: Aerial image of a water treatment tanks. Photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash

A £6m new sewage centre, the first of its kind in the UK, reportedly  “supercharges” the process of treating waste, according to Severn Trent (ST).

The BBC reports that Monkhouse Sewage Treatment, which operates outside Shrewsbury, treats and cleans waste water that can be returned to the system with a quality almost the same as that in a river.

ST said the number of sewage spills into its waterways fell by 41% in 2025, mainly down to a wider £2bn investment that includes the centre, as well as dry weather in Shropshire.

New technology targets ammonia

According to river rangers manager Gareth Mead the centre enables the team to “force more sewage through the works”, which Mead says is vital additional capacity for towns like Shrewsbury that are growing. Mead also told the BBC the centre means ST “can treat more sewage when we get rainfall, and that will really help spill reduction.”

ST have employed new technology called a Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR), which targets the ammonia found in sewage. While sewage is treated this way in all centres, this new one “supercharges that process”, according to Mead.

It was trialled at an innovation centre just outside Redditch, but this is the first site it has been rolled out full-scale, and Mead believes “it’s working really well” – “We’re seeing duckweed in this treatment process, which you really don’t see… It’s showing that it’s really effective at treating ammonia, which is the thing we want to get out of the sewage.”

ST had not been “transparent”

Campaign group Up Sewage Creek (USC) told the BBC ST had not been “very transparent” about its work at the centre.

While the water firm says there has been reduction in sewage spills and billions in investment, the BBC reports that campaigners like USC are reportedly yet to feel convinced about the clean-up, with members asking a lot of questions to try to ensure its operation is effective and offers value for money.

Mead accepted the firm could do more, and was continuing to invest. “There’s still more we can do – we’re not going to stop there, we’re going to keep on going with this,” he added.

You can find further details on the sewage centre via the BBC’s coverage.