00:00Have you been wondering what's going on in Dawlish?
00:09Hello it's Peter Gamsman and if you've passed through Dawlish lately you might have seen the
00:13fenced off areas on the lawns, the cranes, the excavators and the many other things going on.
00:18Let's head over to the town mayor to find out what's happening.
00:21As you can see behind me this massive development by South West Water which is creating a new
00:32system for dealing with our waste water and will have a positive impact on the town and
00:38for its people for years to come.
00:40My name is Grey Murphy, I'm the Chief Engineering Officer for the Penning Group and this really
00:53marks the start of a £760 million coastal clean-up programme for us where we will be dramatically
00:59reducing the spills from our sewerage system and at Dawlish this is a £17.5 million project
01:05and I'd just like to thank all those that live and work in Dawlish for their patience and
01:10perseverance and we will expedite these vital improvements as soon as we physically can.
01:18Over the coming months I'll be documenting and filming the transformation starting here on the lawn,
01:24Sandy Lane car park and Brook Street 2. This is one of the two large storm storage tanks being built
01:31across our town with the other large tank under construction at Sandy Lane.
01:37Here's Chris from South West Water who's going to give us more details.
01:42Hi there, my name is Chris Anderson, I'm the Director of Wastewater for the Team Bridge area
01:47for South West Water. We're here in lovely Dawlish today to talk about some major improvements we're
01:53making in a local sewer network to reduce our storm overflows to help improve bathing water quality
01:59as part of our £760 million investment called Turning the Tide programme. Most of the town has a
02:06system of combined sewers that mix waste water from homes with surface waters from the rain. When it
02:14rains heavily our sewer systems can get overwhelmed. This is when storm overflows act like a safety valve
02:20releasing excess flows into the rivers or the sea. We know this isn't ideal especially for such a
02:26beautiful coastal town like Dawlish. We're building several underground storage tanks to hold millions
02:31of litres of storm water during heavy rain to prevent our storm overflows from spilling when our
02:37treatment works are at capacity. When the flows reduce and the works can treat more the storage in
02:42the tanks will go to be treated. We're also carrying out surface water separation works in several areas.
02:49This will keep rain water out of the combined sewers helping to reduce volume and make storm
02:54overflows less likely to be needed. This means cleaner rivers, a healthier coastline and a more resilient
03:00wastewater network for Dawlish today and into the future. We're doing everything we can and working
03:07with lots of local stakeholders to minimise disruption and we'll continue to keep you updated every step of
03:12the way. Thanks Chris and as he says these works are vital to help protect our beaches, rivers and wildlife.
03:22Alongside these tanks pipelines are being upsized in Brunswick place and existing overflow chambers are
03:28being upgraded. This will allow for more capacity. On the lawn a sewer diversion has already been completed
03:36to make way for the new storage tank right beneath this well-known community space.
03:40To give you an idea of the size of the tank it's the equivalent of an Olympic sized swimming pool.
03:46It will be approximately 18 meters deep and 17 and a half meters wide. Public access will change during
03:53construction, footpaths have been diverted, the mini golf is temporarily closed and the iconic
03:59piazza area has been redesigned to accommodate the construction access.
04:03This isn't a project happening in isolation. South West Water and its contractors Network Plus
04:11and Involve have been working closely with Dawlish Town Council, the Carnival Committee,
04:16local businesses and residents.
04:19Hi I'm Angie, I'm Chair of Carnival and I just want to tell you that Carnival is on,
04:23despite what you might be hearing and okay it looks a bit different we are good to go.
04:28There have been forums, stakeholder meetings and tailored plans to minimise disruption during
04:34Dawlish Town events including the British Cycling Racing in July, Dawlish Celebrates Carnival and Turn
04:41the Tide. This is a complex job and the team on the ground is working hard to complete it by Spring 2026.
04:49There's a lot more than just digging holes, there are boreholes, trial pits, traffic management plans,
04:54noise and vibration monitoring, ecological protection and all the behind the scenes logistics to keep
05:00the town running smoothly while the work is underway.
05:05Over the coming months I'll be following the story through the mud, machinery and milestones
05:10so make sure you're following us to stay up to date. Now a message from our Dawlish Town Crier.
05:16Oh yeah!
05:27South West water digging this hole. A hole in the ground so big and sought around.
05:38Digging it deep it was flat at the bottom and the sides were steep. I'm not singing that bit.
05:46South West water digging deep with shovels sharp and skies so bold.
05:54Unearth not graves from days of old nor artefacts of tales untold.
06:03It won't be long and time will pass and soon we will have back our grass.
06:12The scar will fade and Dawlish will rise. A gem reborn beneath Devon's skies.
06:25To retake its place as a seaside town that is the jewel in Devon's crown.
06:33So let them work in peace and quiet. Far from rumour, damp and riot. Just water works.
06:47A simple aim. South West water playing the game. God save the King!
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