£1.8m upgrade for Staithes wastewater network

Yorkshire Water is investing £1.8m to improve the performance of its wastewater pumping station on Cowbar breakwater in Staithes, north Yorkshire. 

The pumping station, next to the RNLI Lifeboat station, helps to transport wastewater flows to Hinderwell wastewater treatment site. The project includes the installation of larger pumps and a replacement of a tank to hold wastewater, as well as a renewal of the existing pipework within the pumping station. 

Contract partners Mott MacDonald Bentley will be carrying out the work from today (Monday 23rd March) and are expecting to complete the project in September.  

Local residents and businesses have been contacted in regard to any disruption. To avoid using the coastal road, which is susceptible to erosion, teams will be accessing the pumping station via the high street and the harbour sands. 

Yorkshire Water and contractors will be working to minimise disruption as much as possible for residents, businesses and visitors to the village – for example, a tractor involved in the work will be guided by marshals. The lifeboat station will remain operational throughout the work. 

Mitchell Dunkley, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “The upgrade to the pumping station at Staithes is one of several upgrades to our wastewater treatment network that we will be completing by 2030 to improve its overall performance, reliability, and our impact on the environment. Our teams are working tirelessly to deliver improvements to our networks across the region every day.” 

Yorkshire Water is delivering its largest ever investment programme of £8.3bn across the region by 2030 to upgrade infrastructure and improve services for its customers, as well as bettering its impact on the environment.