TWO sewage treatment works are getting a £3m upgrade.

Northumbrian Water is modernising its plants at New Moors, near Evenwood, and Esh Winning, both in County Durham.

The work will improve the quality of the water discharged to the environment following the water treatment process.

Work at Esh Winning began in July and will be finished next April, while work at New Moors begins in early September and will last up to seven months.

More than 1.3m litres of water per day are treated Esh Winning. The work will increase that to 1.4m.

At New Moors, the work will increase capacity from 110,000 litres per day to 260,000.

The water quality of Priest Burn, near Esh Winning, and Hummer Beck, near New Moors, will also be improved.

Mike Foster, Northumbrian Water’s project manager for the two schemes, said: “Both treatment works will remain fully operational while we upgrade each site and there won’t be any impact on the waste water service we provide to customers as a result of this work.

“Each of the schemes is costing £1.5m and will involve renewing various assets, including screens, filters, tanks and pumping stations, which will improve the performance, efficiency and capability of the sites. Residents should be assured that we will do all we can to keep any disruption to a minimum.”

Construction traffic will access Esh Winning from the B6302 and New Moors from the A688.

For more information, call Northumbrian Water on 0345-717-1100.