The Cleator Moor area has a largely combined sewer network. A combined sewer collects wastewater from our homes (e.g. toilets, showers and washing machines etc.) and rainwater that falls on our roofs and roads. This means that in periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall combined sewers can overflow.

Combined storm overflows have been a feature of the sewer system for more than 150 years and act as emergency release valves to let diluted sewage out to rivers and the sea. This
helps preventflooding in streets and homes.

Did you know?

Over half of our sewer network in the North West is combined and we have 40% more overflows than the industry average?

Why do we need storm overflows in the Cleator Moor area?

Storm overflows have been a feature of the sewer systems for over 150 years acting as a pressure relief valve to protect homes and businesses from the risk of flooding when there’s too much rainfall.

We’re listening...

We’ve been listening to what people say - and no-one wants to see sewage from storm overflows discharged into rivers. We get that and have ambitious plans to tackle this - getting set to deliver the largest environmental improvement in the country from 2025. It will need a re-plumb of the drainage system across the North West to achieve this. This is similar to the switch from diesel to electric vehicles, so it can’t happen overnight - but we remain committed to bringing about the improvements everyone wants to see so that we can all enjoy our region’s waterways.

Our plans for Cleator Moor

Building new storage tanks to hold more water is a traditional approach to dealing with excessive flows. Wherever technically possible, we try to bury these big tanks underground to minimise the visual impact. There are a few things we need to consider when developing our options:

• Some of these improvements will require large working areas, often with land we don’t own so we need to work closely with landowners and local communities.
• Planning applications and environmental designations.

Did you know we’ve already built underground storage tanks in Blackpool and across the North West?

Starting at Keekle

We are working to improve water quality in the Cleator Moor area by reducing storm water spills. At Keekle pumping station we are preparing the way for new underground storage to complement the existing pumping station.

We’re proposing to build a new 10.5 metre diameter storage tank which can hold around 600m3 - approximately the size of one standard leisure centre sized swimming pool! This storage tank will store storm water when we have heavy rainfall, preventing our system from being overloaded with excess water. The stored rainwater will then be returned to the
public sewer via a new 1km long pumped rising main in the B5295/Keekle Terrace. Upon completion, the site will be mainly landscaped back to grass with a fenced compound containing a kiosk. This site will be accessed by an enhanced access gate off Dalzell Street.

New rising main:

A new rising main is necessary to transport storm water to an area of the sewer network that has the capacity to handle it. Without this crucial part of the work, the River Keekle would still be at risk of pollution during periods of heavy rain. The proposed route for this pipeline is down Keekle Terrace.