Yorkshire Water will spend £9.5m on strengthening North Yorkshire's water supply, boosting network resilience and catering for future demand as part of its long‑term water resources management plan.

At Malton and Norton Water Treatment Works, the scheme will deliver a new borehole, a new service reservoir and a new pumping station.

Project partner Marriott started the first phase on Monday 9 March, drilling a new borehole – a deep shaft that taps underground sources naturally filtered through soil and rock, meaning only minimal treatment is needed before use.

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Borehole drilling typically takes up to three weeks, followed by testing.

Cat Smart, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "We're making significant investments into our water resources over the next five years in order to meet future demand. Boreholes are an important part of our strategy for maintaining supply in the long-term, and we already have borehole projects underway in East Ness and Brayton Barff – expected to bring an extra 21 Ml/d of raw water into the network. The new borehole at Malton and Norton, where over a thousand new houses are in local development plans, is an equally important part of these plans."

The new service reservoir, to be built by contract partners Peter Duffy Ltd, will provide storage for 3.8 million litres of treated drinking water, improving the resilience of supplies before they are distributed to customers.

A new pumping station will help move treated water around the network, while a new pipeline will transfer raw water from the aquifer to the treatment site.

Works will take place along Beverley Road, YO17 9PJ, on the outskirts of Norton, with completion expected in winter 2027.