United Utilities has been given the go ahead to build a £200 million extension to its waste treatment plant on the banks of the River Mersey in a scheme that could create up to 350 jobs.

The existing works at Sandon Dock, Regent Road, will be extended into the redundant Wellington Dock.

And that will result in a plant able to cope with 11,000 litres of waste a second, serving one million people in Liverpool from Crosby in the north to Speke in the south.

-- Advertisement --

Treated water leaving the new plant will be cleaner and greener, helping the continuing rejuvenation of the River Mersey and ensuring it meets strict European standards for water quality.

Back in 1985, the river was the most polluted in the UK but it now sustains a wide range of fish such as salmon, trout, lamprey and dace.

United Utilities worked closely with local businesses, residents and Liverpool City Council to devise a scheme that will have a minimal impact on the famous Liverpool skyline.

The treatment facility, based on successful plants in other coastal cities, such as Cardiff and Dublin, will be sunk into Wellington Dock and coping stones, dock features and furniture will be retained where possible.

It is scheduled to take up to four years to complete and United Utilities estimates up to 350 people could be employed to work on the scheme.

(CD/GK)