Increased population means a new sewage treatment plan for Taunton

Taunton in Somerset has put into motion a new plan to upgrade its sewage treatment system.

Because of an increased population in the area, there is greater demand for a larger and more thorough sewage system.

This ensures that every individual in the area has a clean and efficient water service.

Plans for the upgrade come after months of uncertainty in the area about the future of their sewage system.

The local water provider, Wessex Water, confirmed the plans today on its website.

"Wessex Water is investing around £20 million at Taunton (Ham) sewage treatment works to improve the facilities to treat both wastewater and sludge," it says.

Although the movement is necessary, there have been widespread fears in the area about the potential for severe traffic during the extension which is due to finish in March 2015.

Inhabitants and the company itself had hoped to build a relief road before the expansion began to prohibit severe traffic.

However, years of plans and talks with local landowners confirmed that the building of a relief road is problematic. Consequently, Wessex Water decided to go ahead with the extension as quickly as possible.

They do claim that they had "hoped" the building of the relief road would go ahead, however they decided it was "not possible".

Nonetheless, Wessex Water and the council have worked together to build a temporary solution to the problem.

"As part of these improvements a new dedicated access road for sludge tankers and operational vehicles is to be established," the website says.

To keep disruption to a minimum, deliveries will be restricted during peak hours, while drivers will keep to a strict speed limit and use designated passing places only.

As Wessex Water currently serves around 1.3 million people with around 285 million litres of water a day, the extension is crucial.