Severn Trent has unveiled a major £29m investment programme to boost and secure water and wastewater services across Worcestershire for future generations – as well as improving river health.

Three major schemes are planned in and around the Lower Broadheath area, where an extensive community consultation programme has been held to listen to local people and act on their feedback – to help keep any disruption to a minimum.

The projects are part of Severn Trent’s Built for Worcestershire programme of investment, that will deliver long-term benefits for residents and businesses and the environment. The three schemes will see:

• Some 16km of new water mains being laid; reducing leaks while securing reliable supplies for thousands of homes, with the first phase due to be completed shortly.
• Upgrading the water and waste network, with 2,500 new homes planned; ensuring future families have access to clean, dependable water and wastewater services.
• And carrying out major upgrades at Worcester Sewage Treatment Works; boosting capacity to support a growing population and reducing phosphates in the sewage treatment process, to better protect the River Severn.

Angela Boote is Severn Trent’s Lead Community Liaison officer and has been meeting local people in and around Lower Broadheath over the last few months, to answer customer questions and listen to any feedback or concerns.

She has held weekly drop-in sessions at the local village pub, made door-to-door visits to speak with residents directly and staged regular talks with parish councillors.

She said: “Customers are at the heart of what we do at Severn Trent, so it’s been a privilege to meet so many members of the community to tell them about the many benefits of these schemes and listen to their very valuable feedback.

“These three key projects, part of our major Built for Worcestershire programme, will secure water supplies, protect rivers, and ensure the network can cope with future demand.

“I’ve been feeding back any customer concerns to our teams - I’ve become the customers’ voice in many ways, which has really helped us shape our plans.

 “This is a wonderful community, and we want to continue to work with them to ensure we keep listening and learning, as we carry out each phase of the projects into 2026 and 2027.” 

Severn Trent has set up a dedicated website to give residents the very latest updates on all the schemes, plus regular alerts will be made on social media and through the press to help local people plan around any disruption.

Angela added: “Keeping people informed about what we are doing and when and listening to their feedback is a key priority of these three schemes and for the wider Built for Worcestershire programme.

“In January, work will begin on laying new pipes to better serve the area with our crews due to be working in Crown East Lane. We’ll keep sharing updates so everyone knows what’s happening and when because sometimes when you dig you find things that change the plan.

“We do understand that major projects like these can cause disruption, but we are determined to reduce that by working closely with the community in an open and transparent way by improving communication.

“I want to personally thank the many residents, businesses and parish councillors who I’ve spoken to for the really open and helpful conversations we’ve had – and will continue to have.

“We’re now determined to deliver what we have promised - providing a secure and reliable service for our customers today and for future generations.”