A new storm tank has been installed as part of a £6m upgrade near Farnham.

Thames Water announced the installation at Bentley Sewage Treatment Works (STW) to increase its overall capacity.

The construction of this first storm tank at Bentley STW will allow the site to hold an additional 252 cubic metres of wastewater.

This is equivalent to two hours of storage at the maximum flow rate and is expected to reduce the need for storm discharges during heavy rainfall.

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The site upgrade work began in November 2022 (Image: Thames Water) The tank installation is part of Thames Water's commitment to investing in its infrastructure.

The site upgrade work began in November 2022 and was expected to be completed in March 2025.

However, the company managed to install the 18 by six-metre storm tank ahead of schedule in September 2024, just before the rainfall season.

This will help manage the effects of population growth and climate change, and meet the government targets on reducing storm overflows by 2030.

The £6m upgrade also includes a phosphorus reduction scheme, aimed at improving the quality of effluent released into the river following treatment.

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This scheme is expected to be completed in 2025.

Kevin Brown, senior project manager at Thames Water, said: "We are pleased to have completed installing a new storm tank at our Bentley Sewage Treatment Works six months ahead of schedule.

"This upgrade to our network will help the health of the rivers and waterways.

"Further work is still taking place at our Bentley site. As part of the £6m upgrade, the phosphorus reduction scheme is expected to be completed in 2025 and will improve the quality of treated effluent."

Mr Brown added: "As custodians of this important infrastructure, we need to ensure our sites are resilient to the pressures of climate change and population growth so we can continue to provide reliable services to our customers.

"We believe all discharges are unacceptable and we are committed to seeing healthy and thriving waterways, however, we can’t do it alone.

"While we play an important role in this, we aren’t the sole custodians of river health.

"We need everyone working together to help our waterways thrive."

The upgrade of Bentley STW is part of Thames Water's plans to improve 250 of its wastewater sites, including nearby ones such as Newmans Lane and Crondall STW, which were completed earlier this year.