Wessex Water confirmed a major capital programme to improve coastal water quality in Bournemouth, Dorset, on 6 February 2026. The work is intended to reduce sewage overflows during heavy rain and improve bathing-water quality for residents and visitors.
The programme includes upgrades to the Holdenhurst Water Recycling Centre and the installation of additional storm‑water storage capacity (including new storage tanks) to reduce the risk of combined-sewer overflows at popular locations such as Bournemouth Pier and Boscombe Pier. Wessex has already committed tens of millions of pounds to upgrades at Holdenhurst, including a project reported at about £30 million to increase storage capacity by roughly 40%.
The programme has been enabled by recent changes to regulatory powers and policy — notably the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 and related water quality legislation (including the Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill, parliamentary bill 3439) — which create new routes for companies to accelerate investment while meeting stricter reporting and transparency requirements. The industry regulator Ofwat will oversee delivery and has powers to adjust funding if companies fail to meet targets.
Environment Agency bathing-water profiles show the area currently has high water-quality classifications. Wessex and local partners say the upgrades are intended to protect those standards. Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2026 and is expected to run through 2028 (approximately 18–36 months); Wessex and BCP Council say they will coordinate to minimise disruption to the seafront and avoid major works during peak summer tourism where possible.
The investment follows earlier trials and deployments of real-time water‑quality sensors at Bournemouth and Boscombe piers (sensors were placed in 2024 and report data via an app), and forms part of Wessex Water’s wider 2025–2030 business plan to modernise sewerage and wastewater infrastructure across the region by 2030.
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