Exmouth sewage pipe fixed

Town beset with troubles this summer

Beleaguered South West Water has completed a scheme to replace a section of sewer in Exmouth following a summer of trauma for beachgoers in the town.

A section nearly a quarter or a mile long of the sewer entering Maer Lane Wastewater Treatment works has been replaced over eight weeks as part of £38 million of improvements.

The company wanted to finish the work before the end of the year, despite very challenging weather conditions, including two named storms and freezing temperatures.

It has already spent £20 million in the area over the last 5 years.

Graham Murphy, South West Water’s chief engineering officer, said: “Ofwat has now given the green light for us to invest in the changes that our customers rightly deserve, now and in the future.

“We’re not waiting until April for these plans to begin though, and our teams are already working hard to deliver £75m of accelerated investment, including in Exmouth, so we can crack on with making the improvements we all want to see.”

South West Water has already made several improvements in Exmouth since 2022, including a £2 million scheme to replace 800 metres of sewer at Phear Park, and work to prevent surface water entering and overwhelming the sewer network at multiple locations.