A £77 million wastewater treatment works, which will increase capacity for East Lancashire by 27 per cent, is nearing completion.

The project which began in 2021, will enable the facility to meet the growing demand for Burnley and surrounding towns and work in tangent with the introduction of storm water storage, reducing the number of storm overflows during periods of heavy rain, in theory.

Innovating new processes which reduce phosphorous and other nutrients from the water that is released from the facility at the end of the treatment process have been introduced as well as new equipment which speeds up the treatment process.

Rob Moore, head of wastewater for United Utilities in Lancashire, said: “This project has transformed Burnley Wastewater Treatment Works.

 “We know our customers want to see cleaner rivers and fewer occasions when untreated sewage is released into the environment.

"This upgrade will play an important role in delivering that. It means we can now treat sewage more quickly, we can store more sewage in times of heavy rainfall, and we’ve upgraded the treatment process so that the treated water that is released back into the River Calder is even cleaner.”

Construction work has now been completed and the focus is now on testing and commissioning the new equipment.

Improvements to the treatment process include the introduction of a new technology which enhances the biological treatment process, removing more nutrients and improving the quality of the final effluent.

The Burnley upgrade is part of a wider project to improve water quality in Pendle Water and the River Calder which is a tributary of the River Ribble.

Mr Moore added: “We’ve also increased capacity in the local sewer network through the introduction of a giant underground storage tank in Nelson and carried out improvements at Hyndburn Wastewater Treatment Works.”

Across Lancashire, United Utilities has invested more than £330 million during the last five years in projects ranging from infrastructure improvements to riverside tree planting schemes, which are enhancing water quality in the River Ribble and its tributaries.