Anglian Water has commenced work at Gayton Water Treatment Works (WTW) in an investment worth £4 million.

The work, to construct a nitrate removal plant, will improve and upgrade the site's already stringent treatment processes.

This year sees the company's biggest ever programme of investment. Anglian Water cleans, treats and supplies more than a billion litres of water per day – and all its pipes laid end to end would stretch around the world three times – so keeping things running smoothly requires regular, proactive maintenance. This year, the company is investing £630 million into treatment works, including in Gayton, as well as pipes, customer service, and the environment.


Gayton WTW supplies drinking water to tens of thousands of customers in the King’s Lynn area. Water is abstracted from underground boreholes and treated at the site before travelling down pipes to customers' taps.

Chloe Bailey, customer experience coordinator for the project, said: "Nitrates are a natural compound of nitrogen and oxygen, and can be found in groundwater when farmers nearby use fertilisers.

"Delivering top quality drinking water is our top priority, and we work hard to ensure your tap water always meets the UK's high standards for drinking water. That’s why we're investing in this upgraded nitrate removal technology at Gayton WTW, which will ensure we can keep providing high quality clean, fresh drinking water to all our customers in the area."

During the work, Anglian Water engineers will be working to avoid as much disruption for local residents as possible. This includes locating the development away from properties, avoiding the need to move power lines, and maintaining access for vehicles and deliveries.

The project will take around one year to complete.