Yorkshire Water invests £4-9m to improve Bridge Road Horbury storm overflow

Major improvement works begin this summer to reduce discharges from Bridge Road, Horbury storm overflow, going into the river Calder to help improve water quality and reduce the likelihood of surface water flooding.

This £4.9m investment at Bridge Road storm overflow is part of Yorkshire Water’s commitment to reducing storm overflows across the region, investing £180m by April 2025 to tackle the issue and improve water quality in the region’s rivers and coastline.  On completion, the project will reduce the frequency of discharges at Bridge Road going into the river Calder by at least 20%. 

Contract partners Morrisons Water Services (MWS) will be on site from Monday 12 August to lay a new surface water sewer on the A642 New Road.  The comprehensive project includes 2.5 kilometres of new piping to divert surface water away from the public combined sewer, and the installation of a new 1800mm chamber, removing pressure on the storm overflow at Bridge Road.

This scheme will help to reduce the number and duration of storm discharges flowing into the river Calder and surrounding waterways.

Omair Khan, project manager, Yorkshire Water, said: “This is a complex project that is part of our £180m investment, committed to reducing storm overflows across the Yorkshire region.  We have worked closely with Wakefield Council and Highways team in the planning of this project to ensure that the correct traffic management is in place to keep everyone safe.

“Our customer liaison team will be contacting residents, local communities, and businesses to keep them informed of the project process. We are working with our contract partners to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to keep disruption to a minimum.  We will be working at pace, seven days a week to complete this on time.”

Work starts on site at the A642 New Road between the old railway viaduct at Horbury Bridge, westwards to the junctions of Green Lane and Wood Lane junction, with New Road Middlestown and the Horticentre Garden Centre.  Work is expected to be complete in March 2025.

Yorkshire Water and MWS will be holding some community drop ins so that residents can find out about the scheme and the improvements it will make, especially to areas that have previously been susceptible to flooding.