Yorkshire Water invests over £4m in Millhouses Sheffield wastewater network

Yorkshire Water is investing more than £4 million in two projects in the Millhouses area of south Sheffield to improve the performance of its wastewater network and help reduce the risk of pollution and flooding. 

• £1.2m investment at Millhouses combined sewer overflow (CSO)  
• £2.9m investment for new 1,650m³ storm overflow storage tank 

The projects, at Millhouses and nearby Fraser Drive, represent a combined investment of £4.1 million and will see upgrades to existing infrastructure alongside the construction of a major new underground wastewater storage tank. 

The £1.2m upgrade at Millhouses CSO will replace existing screens to improve the overall performance of the site.  Contract partners, Mott MacDonald are currently working on the project is expected tom complete by the end of December 2026. 

Lumi Ajayi, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re investing £1.2 million at Millhouses CSO to upgrade an important part of our wastewater network, helping to improve its performance and reduce the risk of flooding and pollution. 

“Most of the work will take place on site, but our contract partners will also be using the small car park next to Millhouses Works Cricket Club as a site compound, with the club’s kind permission. 

“We’ll be working as quickly as we can to keep disruption to a minimum and would like to thank the local community and Millhouses Works Cricket Club for their patience while we complete this important upgrade.” 

A short distance away, Yorkshire Water is investing a further £2.9 million to construct a new underground storage tank beneath Barbers Field, off Fraser Drive. 

The new storm overflow tank will be 15 metres in diameter and 18.3 metres deep, with capacity to hold 1,650 cubic metres, or 1.65 million litres, of wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall. 

The additional storage will allow wastewater to be held back during spells of prolonged and heavy rain before slowly releasing it back into the wastewater network for treatment. 

The scheme is designed to reduce discharges from the Fraser Drive CSO into the river Sheaf. The overflow currently operates an average of 60 times a year, with the project aiming to reduce give an 83% reduction to fewer than 10 discharges per year. 

Contract partners, M Group, are due to start construction works one site in early November.  The project is expected to take around 13 months to complete when Barbers Field will be reseeded and fully restored for the community to enjoy. 

Joe Johnson, senior project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “This £2.9 million investment at Fraser Drive will provide a significant increase in storage within the local wastewater network during periods of heavy rainfall. 

“The new tank will be capable of storing 1.65 million litres of wastewater, helping us to reduce the number of discharges from the combined sewer overflow into the river Sheaf. 

The two significant projects taking place in close proximity represents over £4 million of further investment in Sheffield’s wastewater infrastructure.  Yorkshire Water is in contact with the local community to keep them up to date with progress. 

Yorkshire Water is investing over £8.3Bn between 2025 – 2030 to improve service to its customers by upgrading infrastructure and protecting the environment.  Headline projects include: 

• £406m to upgrade and replace over 1,000km of clean water pipes 
• £1.5bn to reduce storm discharges old clean water improve service to its customers  
• £450m in facilities , equipment and water sources to continue to provide clean, reliable drinking water across the county