One Year On: Progress Update on South West Water’s £3.2bn Investment Plan

One year on from the launch of South West Water’s £3.2bn, five year investment plan, the company says early changes are starting to be felt across the South West.

Launched in early 2025, the plan focuses on areas customers care about most, including cleaner and more reliable water, fewer sewage spills, healthier beaches and seas, and extra support for households under pressure. Over the past 12 months, work has begun on a wide range of projects aimed at turning those commitments into action.

Tackling sewage spills

Reducing sewage spills has been a major focus, with South West Water working towards the government’s long term target of fewer than 10 spills per overflow, per year, by 2040.

Over the last year, major schemes have started in Dawlish, Sidmouth and Falmouth to reduce spills and increase storage capacity during heavy rainfall.

In Dawlish, teams are installing two underground stormwater tanks, each with a capacity of 2.2 million litres. These are designed to future proof the town’s wastewater network and help improve local bathing waters.

Similar work is taking place in Sidmouth, where a storm tank is being installed underground at The Ham, and in Falmouth, where a tank is being built beneath the car park at Gyllyngvase Beach. These tanks are intended to capture excess flows during heavy rain and hold them safely until the sewer network has capacity for full treatment.

Across the wider region, investment in smarter networks, extra storage and upgraded sewers has contributed to a reduction in storm overflow spills, with 20 percent fewer spills near bathing waters over the past five years.

Fixing leaks and strengthening water supplies

In 2025, South West Water’s teams repaired more than 21,000 leaks across the region, averaging around 58 repairs every day.

Around two thirds of these leaks were identified proactively using new detection technology that can pick up the sound of leaks hundreds of metres away. This has allowed teams to find and fix issues more quickly.

Upgrades are also underway at water treatment works, including Purton and Woodgreen Water Treatment Works, to improve reliability, particularly during dry spells.

The South West experienced a drier than average year in 2025. During this period, the company monitored supplies as part of its normal operations to ensure there was enough water for customers. Alongside this, it shared water saving advice and offered free water saving devices, sending out more than three times as many as the previous year.

Support for households under pressure

The investment programme also includes measures aimed at helping people with the cost of their water bills.

In 2025, South West Water launched a £200m support package to reduce water poverty and extend help already reaching 125,000 people across the region. The package includes discounted tariffs, payment support, water efficiency advice, benefits entitlement checks and proactive identification of customers who may need extra help.

The company is also investing £5m through its Better Futures programme, supporting community groups working on wellbeing, education and environmental resilience.

Working with nature

Alongside engineering work, South West Water has invested in nature based approaches to protect the environment.

Over the past year, the company planted 390,000 trees, exceeding its original five year target of 300,000. It has also continued work with farmers through its Upstream Thinking Programme, with more than 2,000 farms covering over 144,000 hectares now involved in efforts to reduce pollution before it reaches rivers.

Looking ahead

Graham Murphy, South West Water’s Chief Engineering Officer, said: “This first year has been about getting projects moving and delivering changes people can actually see – whether that’s fewer leaks on their street or support with their bills.

“The projects we’re doing in Dawlish, Sidmouth, and Falmouth show what this work looks like on the ground. We still have more to do, but these early results show we’re heading in the right direction.”

With major projects now underway across Devon and Cornwall, the company says the next four years will build on this progress, with the aim of delivering cleaner rivers, safer beaches, more reliable water and stronger support for customers across the South West.