Water firm's plan for new £53m reservoir

Northumbrian Water has appointed a contractor to help build a new £53m underground reservoir to secure water supplies in the Sunderland and South Tyneside area.

Mott Macdonald Bentley (M MB) will help construct the reservoir, at Springwell Village, Sunderland, which will help secure water supplies for 50,000 customers in South Tyneside.

Construction on the project is expected to start in spring this year and be completed in 2025.

Northumbrian Water’s Richard Johnston and Paul Featherstone are the project managers for the scheme.

Mr Johnston, said: “This is a huge investment project for us which will play a vital role in ensuring a reliable supply of drinking water for our customers long into the future, and we’re pleased to have MMB on board.

“We’ll be working with them and we’re confident they will help us to deliver this project to a high standard whilst minimising any disruption to the local area.”

Mr Featherstone added: “As populations continue to grow, the reservoir will further support the wider South Tyneside area with a more reliable and resilient water supply for many years to come and we’re looking forward to working with MMB to deliver it.”

The reservoir, the size of four football pitches, will be able to hold 43million litres of water.

The project will also involve the construction of a five and a half kilometre pipeline, stretching to the east of Usworth in Washington.

Plans for the project were first unveiled in 2019 and customers living nearby will be invited to a customer session in the coming weeks.