Severn Trent Awards Barhale £9.5M Stoke Resilience Project

Barhale has been appointed by Severn Trent Water to deliver a £9.5M scheme in Stoke-on-Trent that will strengthen the network and help improve water quality in local watercourses.

The project, at Silverdale in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will provide additional stormwater storage and upgraded pumping capacity, reducing intermittent discharges from the combined sewer network during periods of heavy rainfall. Barhale will construct a 10.5m diameter, 16m deep shaft providing 770m³ of additional storage. The shaft will be constructed within a cofferdam and underpinned to manage high perched water levels and loose ground.

Barhale will also upgrade the existing pumping station, construct a new pumping station and deliver full MEICA works. New access to the site from the main road will be completed as Section 278 works. The Silverdale project is part of an extensive multi-site water infrastructure improvement program taking place across Stoke which includes new shafts to provide additional stormwater overflow capacity at Etruria Vale and Lower Oxford Road.

The works are being delivered within Severn Trent’s WINEP program – an initiative focused on reducing intermittent discharges from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and improving the health of local watercourses. According to Rob Chattoe, Contracts Manager at Barhale, the scheme will make a substantial difference to how the network performs during storm conditions.

“The additional storage and upgraded infrastructure will help reduce pressure on the system and support better environmental outcomes for local communities,” he said. “We are pleased to be extending our remit with Severn Trent across Stoke and we look forward to working closely together to deliver another positive outcome.”

Completion is expected in early 2028.