News

Severn Trent is asking the people of Worcester for help to find the source of an oil or fuel spill.

Matt Jeynes, waste team manager, explains: “A few months ago, we noticed a large amount of a fuel or oil type substance entering Worcester sewage treatment works via the
sewerage network.  

“At the time we attempted to trace the issue through the network, and we did manage to narrow the area down.  However the potential source sits within half of Worcester city and we just can’t seem to find where it’s coming from.”

This week the same thing has happened and the water company is very concerned as oil and fuel have the potential to kill the millions of bugs that treat the waste, and in enough volume could massively affect the performance of the sewage treatment works.

Matt continued: “We have teams out at the moment in conjunction with our commercial waste team but it’s really difficult to find the potential source of the issue.  So we’re asking the people of Worcester to help.  We’d ask any companies that store or use large amounts of fuel or oil to check their site and make sure there are no accidental spills or leaks. 

“And if anyone knows anything, please let us know by calling our usual phone number – 0800 783 4444 – we’re here 24/7 to take your calls about any issues.  We’d really appreciate the help to protect the works and to make sure we can continue to treat the waste for Worcester as normal.”