Northumbrian Water have announced they will be conducting a £14 million investment over the next 5 years in a bid to reduce the amount of sewage released into the Ouseburn River.
The company have pledged that they will be re-engineering two major outfall locations to prevent future spillages from heavy rainfall. The water company plans to begin construction before the end of 2025, with the goal of restoring the river to a cleaner state.
Northumbrian Water has stated they aim to solve all of the problems by 2030, with the series of projects anticipated to create 3,000 jobs per year.
The work on the Ouseburn is part of Northumbrian Water’s larger £6.2 billion plan to implement improvement works across the entire North East region.
The multi-billion-pound “enhancement expenditure” has been approved by OFWAT, which has set strict spending budgets and performance targets to ensure the water company delivers service interventions efficiently and at a fair cost to its customers.
OFWAT has outlined crucial improvements they expect to see from Northumbrian Water, including reducing storm overflows, preventing nutrient pollution, delivering a 7% reduction in leakage, and improving water quality for customers through lead pipe replacement and measures to prevent raw water deterioration.
The plans were made in response to recurring spills of untreated waste into waterways, particularly concerning the Ouseburn River, which had over 275 spills in 2024 from its 16 combined outflows.
Water pollution poses a significant risk to public health by exposing people to harmful bacteria and parasites, contaminating drinking water supplies, and endangering those engaging in recreational activities in affected waters, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever.
Many local residents are relieved at the news of the investment, stating how the sewage spills have affected them personally. Karen Holland,58, from Heaton said, “I used to love going down the Dene when I was younger. I wish I could take my grandchildren, but I fear for their safety if they get too close to the water. I don’t want them to catch anything.”
The investment decision came following increased pressure placed on Northumbrian Water by local councillors. The Liberal Democrats of Newcastle led a campaign, including a petition signed by 1,200 residents, urging immediate action from the company to clean up the river after their repeated failures.
North Jesmond Liberal Democrat councillor James Coles,34, said, “There is a lot more pressure on water companies all over the country because as more people are looking into this issue, they are uncovering the disastrous management that is occurring.”
Last August, OFWAT confirmed Northumbrian Water would face a £17 million fine for “routinely” allowing the contamination of rivers by not operating sites properly and being slow to understand their obligations.
Coles added, “It sounds a bit cynical, but they’ve been caught out basically. It has come to their attention, they are feeling a bit of heat, and now they are scrambling around trying to get a bit of money together to actually do something.”