£2.5m investment in Selby storm overflows to reduce discharges to local watercourses

Yorkshire Water is investing over £2.5m in two storm overflows to reduce discharges improve water quality in the river Ouse and Hagg Bush Dike.

The projects include:

• £2.3m to construct a new sewage pumping station including the installation of a new 247m³ (9m diameter, 5 metre depth) storage tank, associated pumps and pipework at Burn Airfield, Barlow. This is expected to reduce storm discharges flowing into Hagg Bush Dike by 88%. The storage will hold excess flows and return them to the network for treatment once a rainfall event has passed.
• £286k investment to upgrade and refurbish the storm overflow at Shipyard Road, Selby, which result in a reduction of storm discharges going into the culverted Brayton Junction. 

The projects are part of a £180m investment by the end of April 2025 from Yorkshire Water to reduce discharges from storm overflows across the region and are due to start on site in September and November respectively, carried out by contract partners Peter Duffy Ltd (PDL). 

Lumi Ajayi, project manager, said: “These projects will significantly reduce the volume and frequency of storm overflows going into local watercourses in the area, which will help to improve water quality, an issue that is very important to us and to our customers. 

“We have worked closely with the local highways teams in the area to ensure that these important improvements are completed quickly and safely as we work together with our partners, try to keep disruption to a minimum.”