April 22, 2026

Preparation Work Continues for Northumbrian Water £6m investment in Ouse Burn

Northumbrian Water continues to make good progress with preparation work for its upcoming £6m investment, due to start on site in 2027, to help protect the Ouse Burn and its surrounding environment.

As a reminder, this investment will help to reduce spills from two storm overflows (SOs) that impact the Ouse Burn. This project will improve the water quality of the Ouse Burn by reducing the number of storm overflow spills.

Recent activity has focused on preparing for survey work in the Longbenton area. To help protect local wildlife, including hedgehogs and nesting birds, Northumbrian Water’s wildlife dog, Bracken, was brought in by the team before essential vegetation-clearing work began. These surveys are designed to help the team identify additional environmental improvements that can be included in the project.

Away from this project, but also supporting improvements to the local environment, residents in Longbenton may have noticed some of Northumbrian Water’s team in the area, as the company’s SMART Network team begins work to build a new control chamber.

The control chamber is a key operational wastewater asset within the Ouse Burn catchment, playing an important role in managing water flow during rainfall and helping to reduce storm overflow spills.

You may have seen the news that, across the North East, spills from storm overflows have reduced by almost a third. Even though 2025 was drier than previous years, this is also due to investment projects and innovative steps taken by Northumbrian Water.

New data from the Environment Agency shows that the number of storm overflows discharging in the region has reduced by over 14,000 spills (32%) in 2025.

The project to install the control chamber is separate to Northumbrian Water’s £6m investment, but they are working alongside each other to help protect the environment and the Ouse Burn in Newcastle upon Tyne, and build upon the positive improvements we are seeing.

For the latest project updates and information about upcoming activities, please visit the Ouseburn Community Hub page