Improvements in your area
We’re committed to improving the South East’s precious water environment. Here you can read about what we're doing to protect our environment in the years ahead.
Our local and regional investment plans
We’ve come a long way since our transformation programme started in 2017 – and we’re going further each day. Below, you’ll find an overview of our investment plans for 2020–25. You can also filter by specific counties to find out what’s happening in your area.
£335m overall investment
We’re planning £335 million of investments across Kent. This includes £42 million to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water to Kent from our Wingham and Burham sites.
£65k for new homes
We’re investing to create the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support 65,568 new homes in Kent. These homes are forecast to be connected to our network by 2025.
£21m major upgrades for Swalecliffe
We’ve planned £21 million of upgrades at our Swalecliffe Wastewater Treatment Works. This includes lengthening the site’s short sea outfall so storm overflow releases happen further from the shore. This will benefit the coastline and reduce impact on water-based leisure and business.
800 litres per second
During a downpour, our Margate Pumping Station receives up to 800 litres of wastewater a second. To keep wastewater moving and improve our resilience, we’re investing £5.5 million at our Margate, Broadstairs and Weatherlees Hill sites.
15-year upgrade project for Thanet
Thanet’s Victorian sewers were laid over 100 years ago in hand-dug tunnels. Now, we’re in the final stage of a £110 million, 15-year project to upgrade these ageing sewers. This will prevent pollution and ensure they can serve Kent’s growing population.
£178k in community grants
Our community panel of young people, customers and employees chose a number of charities and community groups in Kent to donate 34 grants to totalling to £178,152. Some of these include the Dandelion Time, Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership, Martha Trust, Romney Marsh Day Centre and Sheppey Matters.
3.6km pipework replaced in Military Road
In the summer of 2021, we completed a £13 million replacement of our rising main on Military Road. We used trenchless technology to install the final 3.6km under a busy A road without disruption. We did this while respecting the area’s WWII archaeological significance.
£400k Drainage survey in Thanet
As our climate changes, extreme weather can cause flooding and overload our sewers. This can lead to storm water releases. We’ve committed £400,000 to complete a first-of-a-kind survey of Thanet’s entire water drainage system. This will help us identify ways to protect customers’ homes and our coastline.
£473m overall investment
We’re planning £473 million of investment across Sussex. This includes improving water quality by upgrading our wastewater treatment works that discharge into Chichester and Pagham Harbours. Another project in Winchelsea is reducing storm releases by preventing non-sewage from entering our network.
£50k for new homes
We’re investing to create the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support 50,584 new homes in East and West Sussex. These are forecast to be connected to our network by 2025.
£30m for habitats in Pevensey Levels
Following £30 million of upgrades at our wastewater treatment works in Hailsham, less phosphorous will be discharged into Pevensey Levels (a Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest). This will prevent excess nutrients from stifling biodiversity.
£37m of upgrades for East Brighton and Weir Wood
We’re investing £37 million in our water supply sites in East Brighton and Weir Wood. We'll use this to upgrade our sites and treatment processes, so we can continue to provide a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water in Sussex.
£246k in community grants
Our panel of young people, customers and employees have selected a range of charities and community groups across Sussex to receive grants totalling to £246,101. In East Sussex we've donated 18 grants to a value of £116,636 and in West Sussex we've donated 23 grants totalling £129,465.
£72m for harbour restoration
We led a summit with key partners to address the declining health of Chichester, Langstone and Pagham harbours. Following the summit, we've agreed on steps to restore these habitats and are investing £72 million by 2025 to improve the local water quality.
£474m overall investment
We’re investing £474 million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This includes £35 million at Peel Common, £24 million at Millbrook and £13 million at Sandown. This will help to increase our treatment and storage capacity and prevent stormwater releases.
£40k for new homes
We’re investing to create the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support the 36,690 new homes in Hampshire and 4,007 new homes in the Isle of Wight. These are forecast to be connected to our network by 2025.
5,822 people helped home from hospital
We’re a founding member of a partnership called Home and Well, led by the Citizens Advice Bureau Hampshire. We donate to the scheme, which helps patients return to a warm home with enough food and essential services, including water. 5,822 people had been supported by the service between April 2020 and January 2024.
21m extra litres from Portsmouth Water
Water transfers are used to move water where it’s needed most, so areas with more can help those with less. We’ve signed an agreement with Portsmouth Water to give us 21 million litres each day to help reduce Hampshire’s water shortfall.
£147m to address water shortages
Hampshire faces water shortages, following changes to how much we can take from local waterways. We’re investing £147 million in new sources to keep taps and rivers flowing. This includes the Havant Thicket reservoir (with Portsmouth Water), water re-use and water transfers.
£261k in community grants
Our community panel of young people, customers and employees chose a number of charities and community groups in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to share a total of £261,200 in grants. In Hampshire, we've donated 25 grants to a value of 145,950 and in the Isle of Wight we've donated 25 grants totalling to £115,250.
410k people served by Budds Farm
Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works serves nearly 410,000 customers. As the population of Portsmouth and Havant grows, we’re making £18 million in upgrades. This includes new storm tanks and pipework to increase capacity and resilience during extreme weather.
£77m of upgrades in Otterbourne
We’re investing £77 million in our water treatment works in Otterbourne. We'll use this to refurbish our site and network and upgrade our treatment processes. This is so we can continue to provide a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water.
£3BN Investment
The investment we secured through Ofwat’s 2019 financial determination has been boosted by additional equity investment. This will support the overhaul of our business, ensuring we are better financed to deliver the improvements our customers and the environment deserve.
80% Less pollution
Through our Pollution Reduction Programme, we’re working to reduce the number of pollution incidents by up to 80% by 2025. To achieve this target, we’re investing £83 million to reduce risks and significantly increase monitoring of our network.
156K New homes
The South East has one of the country’s highest levels of housing growth. We’re investing £207 million to create the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support the 156,849 new homes forecast to be connected to our network by 2025.
£140m on leaks
In the water-scarce South East, driving down leakage and water demand are critical to ensuring a long-term supply for customers. We’re investing £140 million in teams and technology to detect leaks, so we can reduce leakage by 15% by 2025.
70 Apprentices
As a local employer, we’re passionate about helping people enter and progress through the world of work. That’s why we provide 70 apprenticeships each year. They work across four counties, Hampshire, Kent, East and West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.
231,500K People
Customers who need extra support due to a health condition or other challenge can register for Priority Services, so we know how to help and who to prioritise in an emergency. By the end of February 2024, more than 231,500 customers were registered with us.
84 Bathing waters
Bathing water quality remains high at our 84 designated bathing waters. 74 of these are now classified as 'Excellent' or 'Good' by our regulators, with six at 'Sufficient' and only four classified as 'Poor'. Our £5 million bathing water enhancement programme continues.
£1.31 a day
In 2023–24, our customers will pay an average of £1.31 a day for us to provide wholesome drinking water and take their wastewater away. This money lets us maintain our operations, improve our services, protect the environment and more.
143K Customers
143,942 customers received a discounted or capped bill from us by February 2024. We’ve also launched a Hardship Fund, allowing customers facing financial difficulty to apply for a one-off bill reduction, debt write-off or grant for specific home improvements.
£32m Eco projects
As part of our £32 million Catchment First programme, we’re working in partnership with farmers and other local stakeholders to develop nature-based solutions that protect water sources, reduce our carbon impact, improve biodiversity and reduce flood risks.
£517m for waterways
As part of our most ambitious environment programme, we’re investing £517 million to improve seven bathing waters and 537km of rivers. This includes investigations, monitoring, river restoration schemes and projects to reduce the pollutants entering the water.
148% More roles
To keep our essential services running, we directly employ over 2,500 people. To achieve our goals, we’re recruiting more talent.
Spend £ 346,460,160
Benefits: Assets Maintained/ Improved, Effective Risk Management and Compliance, Healthy Rivers and Sea, High Quality Drinking Water Quality, Improved Catchment Resilience, Improved Health and Safety, Improved Reputation, Increased Revenue, Reduced Noise, Flies and Fumes, Reduced Odour, Reduced Sewer Blockages, Reduced Sewer Flooding, Renewable Energy generation, Resilient Water Supply, Safe and Sustainable Sludge Use, Wastewater Assets Maintained/ Improved
Start Date: 04-07-2014
Expected Completion Date: 06-05-2027
Wastewater Treatment/ Recycling Spend £ 207,127,387
Wastewater Collection Spend £ 26,261,095
Water Treatment Spend £ 66,746,768
Water Collection Spend £ 6,057,975
Water Supply Spend £ 1,917,190
Southern Water Offices Spend £ 0
Spend £ 473,400,706
Benefits: Assets Maintained/ Improved, Effective Risk Management and Compliance, Healthy Rivers and Sea, High Quality Drinking Water Quality, Improved Catchment Resilience, Improved Health and Safety, Improved Reputation, Improved Storm Overflow Monitoring, Reduced Leakage, Reduced Noise, Flies and Fumes, Reduced Odour, Reduced Sewer Flooding, Reduced Water Consumption, Resilient Water Supply, Safe and Sustainable Sludge Use, Safe Reservoirs, Wastewater Assets Maintained/ Improved, Water Assets Maintained/ Improved
Start Date: 31-10-2011
Expected Completion Date: 12-09-2029
Wastewater Treatment/ Recycling Spend £ 267,533,418
Wastewater Collection Spend £ 13,610,222
Water Treatment Spend £ 100,867,403
Water Collection Spend £ 19,647,350
Water Supply Spend £ 5,887,787
Southern Water Offices Spend £ 8,566,655
Spend £ 474,719,669
Benefits: Assets Maintained/ Improved, Effective Risk Management and Compliance, Healthy Rivers and Sea, High Quality Drinking Water Quality, Improved Catchment Resilience, Improved Health and Safety, Improved Reputation, Reduced Leakage, Reduced Noise, Flies and Fumes, Reduced Odour, Reduced Sewer Flooding, Reduced Water Consumption, Resilient Water Supply, Safe and Sustainable Sludge Use, Safe Reservoirs, Wastewater Assets Maintained/ Improved, Water Assets Maintained/ Improved
Start Date: 14-01-2010
Expected Completion Date: 05-08-2033
Wastewater Treatment/ Recycling Spend £ 157,738,983
Wastewater Collection Spend £ 24,816,806
Water Treatment Spend £ 174,282,026
Water Collection Spend £ 39,577,156
Water Supply Spend £ 5,602,106
Southern Water Offices Spend £ 0
We’re committed to improving the South East’s precious water environment and we take our environmental duties very seriously. We’ve come a long way since our transformation programme started in 2017 – and we’re going further each day. In this area, you’ll find an overview of our investment plans for 2020–25, which show our course of action for the years ahead.