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Morecambe MP hails £70m wastewater treatment upgrade on visit to sewage works

David Morris MP at the waste water treatment works at Middleton

The Morecambe MP said the area's wastewater technology is among the best in the world after visiting a local sewage works.

David Morris also said we all have our part to play in the sewage process as he took a look at a £70m upgrade to the wastewater treatment works at Middleton near Heysham.

Water company United Utilities has invested in a four-year upgrade of the site to provide the latest Nereda wastewater treatment technology.

The industry-leading Nereda sewage treatment process purifies water, using little or no chemicals.

Mr Morris' visit to the wastewater treatment works came after recent criticism of the quality of water in Morecambe Bay and concerns over untreated sewage in the water.

In 2022 there were reports of human excrement being seen floating in Morecambe Bay.

Mr Morris said: "We can be greatly proud of the industry leading facility in Heysham.

"The UV treatment technology we have is one of the best in the world and it was highlight impressive to see the samples of water from each stage of the process.

"From the visit what struck me the most was the impact that wet wipes have on the systems when people flush them and how many the team at Heysham have to drag out of the water before it can be treated. We all have a part to play in this and must ensure we are not flushing anything down the toilet that shouldn’t be there.

"We also spoke about the Better Rivers campaign United Utilities are spearheading in the North West which identifies sources of water pollution and works with local stakeholders to reduce pollution in our rivers. Storm overflows only account for five per cent of pollution in our rivers so there is a vital piece of work to identify and work with all sources of pollution to improve water quality going on."

Mr Morris also said the technology upgrades the stormwater storage to 23,000m3 of water and reduces spills to two per bathing season as required by the bathing water directive.

Wastewater treatment removes impurities from wastewater, or sewage, before it reaches natural bodies of water such as rivers, estuaries, lakes or oceans.

Protesters gathered in the town last month calling for the removal of any untreated sewage from our local waters.

Campaigner Chelsey Needham set up an online petition, saying dirty water in the Bay is "a public health issue, an economic issue, a political issue and an environmental issue". 

A United Utilities spokeperson said at the time: “The North West coastline has seen billions of pounds of water company investment over the last 30 years. This includes Morecambe Wastewater Treatment Works, which has had a multi million-pound upgrade and now uses the latest technology to improve water quality in Morecambe Bay.

“Between 2020 and 2025 we will have invested £230 million into improving 184km of waterways. We won’t stop there, and from 2025 we will be going even further – with one of the biggest environmental improvement programmes ever delivered.”

Related Story: INTERVIEW: Campaigner speaks out as demands grow for cleaner water in Morecambe Bay - Beyond Radio

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