Northumbrian Water has said that spills from storm overflows have reduced across the North East due to investment projects and innovative steps taken by the water company.
New data from the Environment Agency shows that the number of storm overflows discharging in the region has reduced by almost 6,000 spills (13%) in 2024.
The Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) report, published by the EA, also shows that the average number of spills per overflow has dropped from 30 to 26 in the last year, and that the total duration of spills has seen a 12% reduction.
- The number of storm overflow spills reduced in 2024 – down from 46,492 (2023) to 40,792 (2024)
- Less frequent and shorter duration of spills despite wet weather and storms when compared to 2023.
- Smart Sewers project expected to drive down storm overflow spills even further in ‘25
The company said the reductions are because of action taken over the last 12 months that include millions of pounds of investment in infrastructure, with new storm tanks being built in County Durham, underground tanks built in Northumberland and capacity increases being made at treatment works across Teesside and Tyneside.
The improving EDM results also come despite the impacts of climate change and 2024 being the eighth wettest year on record.
Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water, said:
“The EDM results show that we have some of the very lowest number and durations of spills in the country.
“We are pleased to see a reduction in spills, especially during a year filled with numerous named storms and a higher-than-expected amount of rainfall.
“As well as this, we can also confirm that we did not have any serious pollution incidents throughout the whole of 2024. That is now three years in a row since we last had a serious pollution incident and we are industry leading in this space.
“This is a great start to seeing improvements across our region – however, we know that there is still a long way to go, reducing storm overflow use is something that our customers care deeply about and it’s a real priority for us going forward.”
