Yorkshire Water is moving ahead with work to cut storm discharges in Barnsley, with two schemes starting this month at Genn Lane Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and West Street, Worsborough.

The projects, worth a combined £4.8m, form part of a £95m programme to increase capacity and reduce storm discharges at 28 sites across the borough.

At Genn Lane, a £1.1m scheme will install a 68‑metre section of pipe nest storage beneath Ward Green community park. Contract partner MGroup will begin on Monday 16 March. Once complete, the upgrade is expected to reduce storm discharges into tributaries of the river Dove to fewer than ten per year following heavy rainfall.

The £3.7m West Street, Worsborough project will reroute the existing sewer, relocate the CSO and construct a new CSO chamber and screen. The work is forecast to deliver an 87% reduction in storm discharges into the river Dove on completion. MGroup is due to start on site on Monday 23 March, with construction running until summer 2027.

-- Advertisement --

Robyn Scott, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "Both projects are part of Yorkshire Water’s £1.5bn investment by to significantly reduce storm discharges in watercourses. The two projects are part of a £95m plan to upgrade 28 storm overflows to reduce storm discharges across Barnsley including Darton, Darfield and Stairfoot.

"The programme immediately follows a £180m investment over the past two years, which has helped to reduce storm overflows discharging into watercourses by 12% in 2024, compared to 2023."

Storm overflows provide emergency relief for the combined sewer network, which carries wastewater and surface water, during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. They operate when the system reaches capacity to prevent wastewater backing up into homes and gardens.

Across Yorkshire, the company aims to reduce reliance on storm overflows by building new surface water sewers to separate surface water from wastewater, installing underground storage tanks and nature‑based solutions to add capacity, and delivering sustainable drainage systems to slow the flow into the combined network.

These schemes contribute to Yorkshire Water's £8.3bn investment in its services and the environment over the next five years.