Image description: Close-up of wastewater treatment. Image credit: Pixabay.

A significant local commitment 

Southern Water has announced a £42m programme of infrastructure works targeting sewage spills, storm overflows and pollution incidents across Folkestone and Hythe in Kent. The investment, unveiled at a public event in Folkestone this past week, will focus on wastewater treatment works, pumping stations and sewer networks, with the company describing the planned works, which will run until 2030, as “critical” to improving resilience and reducing environmental harm.

A record of failures provides the backdrop

The announcement comes against a backdrop of sustained criticism of Southern Water’s environmental performance in the area. The company was fined a record £90m in 2021 after admitting to thousands of illegal sewage discharges across the South East between 2010 and 2015, which prosecutors branded a “deliberate and serious” breach of environmental law. Reporting on the announcement, BBC highlights that in recent years, repeated sewage discharges into rivers and coastal waters, storm overflow concerns during heavy rainfall, and ageing sewer infrastructure struggling to cope with high groundwater levels have all drawn anger from local campaigners.

Where the money will go

The largest single investment in the programme is a £10m upgrade at Dymchurch Wastewater Treatment Works, with a further £8.6m earmarked for Hythe. Sellindge Wastewater Treatment Works is set for a £7.6m overhaul, while £7.5m will be spent on sealing sewers in villages including Elham, Lyminge and Peene. Smaller schemes are also planned for Lydd (£3.7m) and Brooklands (£2m), alongside improvements to pump capacity at the Range Road, West Hythe and Folkestone Junction pumping stations.

Sector context

The announcement can be seen a tangible example of the £100bn-plus  industry-wide investment programme now underway across England and Wales, as well as the local scrutiny that companies face in demonstrating that investment translates into genuine environmental improvement. Whether this programme succeeds in rebuilding trust with communities and campaigners in Kent will be an early test of Southern Water’s broader commitment to change.