Anglian Water says it's heard message over storm overflow "loud and clear" - and says they are "no longer the right solution"

Anglian Water says it was an active overflow in operation after a month’s worth of rain fell within a week, causing widespread flooding.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We’ve heard loud and clear from our customers, communities, passionate river groups and our regulators that we need to take action to address storm overflows.

"We agree they’re no longer the right solution when sewers become overloaded with rainwater, and have a plan to address how we tackle them.

"The next stage of that is a proposal for £1bn of investment into directly tackling storm spills as part of our next business plan, totalling £9-bn, which we're currently discussing with Ofwat."

The regulator stated it expects all wastewater companies to reduce their storm overflows by investing in infrastructure which will generate social and environmental benefits. This will also ensure the companies are operating their assets properly.

Water companies occasionally use what’s described as storm overflow which occurs when the system is at risk of being overwhelmed. This is usually caused by heavy downpours when a lot of rainwater runs into drains and the sewerage system in a short space of time. Water regulator Ofwat says storm overflows are designed to act as relief valves.

Under extreme weather conditions, they are permitted to prevent sewers from becoming overloaded and to act as pressure releases, allowing floodwater to escape into a river or a sea and not back up into people’s homes.