£3.4m investment in Halifax storm overflows to reduce discharges to local watercourses

Yorkshire Water is investing over £3.4m in three storm overflows in and around Halifax to reduce the number of storm water discharges into Helliwell Syke, and tributaries of Hebble Brooke and Shibden Beck.

The three projects include:  

• £1.8m to add 955m of new surface water pipes and replace 30 road gullies on Syke Lane and Bramley Lane, reducing discharges to Helliwell Syke from Syke Lane CSO by 16% 
• £1m to install 900m of surface water pipes on Long Lane and City Lane, install oversized storage pipes, and line an existing sewer to reduce discharges from Hebble Lane CSO to a tributary of Hebble Brook by 54% 
• £660k to upsize part of an existing combined sewer at Lee Lane wastewater treatment works and upgrade manholes to increase storage in the network, which will reduce discharges by 56% into a tributary of Shibden Beck. The works will be upgraded to use real time data to operate a new actuator to control wastewater flows to reduce discharges occurring during storm events.     

The projects are part of a £180m investment project across Yorkshire by the end of April 2025 to reduce discharges from storm overflows. 

Contract partners Morrisons Water Services, Sapphire Utility Solutions, and Mott MacDonald Bentley will undertake work at the Syke Lane, Hebble Lane, and Lee Lane respectively. 

Lee Boshell, capital delivery programme manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We are committed to improving watercourses across Yorkshire and are investing £180m by April 2025 to reduce storm overflows. 

“The separation of rainfall and wastewater, as well as increasing storage in our network, are two key ways in which we are reducing the frequency and duration of discharges to watercourses from our storm overflows across the region. These three projects in the Halifax area will enable us to limit rainfall entering the combined sewer network and allow us to capture and store more wastewater during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall before returning it to the full treatment process. Upon completion, the volume and number of discharges from these storm overflows will be significantly reduced.”   

The works on Syke Lane will require a road closure for three months, alongside two-way lights nearby.  

Lee added: “We apologise for any disruption caused by the road closure and traffic lights and would like to thank customers for their patience while we carry out this important work to improve water quality in local watercourses.”