Northumbrian Water’s groundbreaking sewer robot, Pipebot Patrol, has made its television debut. The company’s “Bin the Wipe” campaign was featured during the prime-time slot, urging customers to stop sending “flushable” wipes down the toilet, which wreak havoc on pipes. While this detritus seems innocent enough, in reality, it can turn into troublesome clogging that causes horrendous floods and requires multi-million-pound repairs. Pipebot Patrol has been developed as an early-warning AI solution that sewer systems desperately need.
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Northumbrian Water is spending £26.9 million to upgrade sewage treatment at several sites in County Durham, located in the North East of England. This endeavour involves stripping phosphorus from wastewater, protecting the water quality in the River Wear. Work began in early 2026, with completion expected in 12 to 18 months. £44.1 million will also be spent to cut storm overflows as part of an overarching £1.7 billion environmental conservation mission taking place between 2025 to 2030.  

Northumbrian Water has made an unexpected recruit: Bracken, a four-year-old Labrador, doesn’t just have a nose for tracking wildlife (that too!) but also the ability to safeguard biodiversity. The specialist sniffer dog spots hidden creatures like hedgehogs, ensuring safe relocation before site maintenance can put them in harm’s way. It’s a smart, paws‑on way to protect the wildlife and boost conservation efforts across North East operational sites.

Northumbrian Water is bringing a real-life Wall‑E to the sewers of northern England. Pipebot Patrol is the world’s first autonomous robot to patrol live pipelines, spotting blockages before flooding occurs. A £1.8 million initiative led by Northumbrian Water, Pipebot Patrol captures real-time data with advanced mobile sensors and delivers alerts via a user-friendly dashboard. By reducing emergency callouts and keeping crews away from hazardous conditions, Pipebot Patrol promises smarter, safer and more proactive sewer management across the UK.  

Northumbrian Water is turning wastewater into a resource with the Net Water PositHyve project. This initiative transforms treated wastewater into high-quality, clean water, reducing the need to use drinking water for industrial purposes. Backed by the UK’s water regulator, Ofwat, and their Innovation Fund Water Breakthrough Challenge, the project aims to recycle up to 740,000 litres daily, helping industrial sites operate more sustainably and protecting vital water resources for future generations.

This summer, Northumbrian Water concluded its £17 million enhancements to sewerage networks and treatment works in Teesside, North East England. The funding covered the construction of two separate pipelines and the conversion of a pumping station. The projects prioritised environmental protection, network efficiency and minimal disruption to commuters. Not only will these upgrades safeguard wastewater services but they will also support local transport routes and deliver lasting benefits to Teesside residents.  

Northumbrian Water has pumped £4.4 million into three environmental projects to reduce sewer overflows in England’s County Durham. The upgrades are part of major work across North East England and include new tanks, sewer diversions and separating surface water from wastewater pipes – key moves to prevent stormwater from overwhelming the system. The upgrades are expected to cut spills from these assets into the River Wear by over 75%, capping them at just 10 per year per site. This recent investment contributes to the overarching effort to protect local waterways.  

Northumbrian Water (NWG) is investing £20 million into a first-of-its-kind project in the UK that will develop smart sewers and other savvy technology, such as smart sensors and AI analytics, to reduce the risk of spills from storm overflows. Using techniques already successfully trialled in the US, NWG will have the power to control wastewater direction and flow, therefore reducing the risk of spills. Ten years of testing across the pond have shown an 80% decrease in spills in a section of an Indiana wastewater network, so with this new plan, NWG hopes to see similar results.  

Facing the challenge of extreme weather, Northumbrian Water is pioneering the use of flying drones to secure real-time data. Water-testing technology mounted on flying drones can enhance the quality and frequency of water quality reporting in difficult environments.
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Essex & Suffolk Water is investing £49.3 million in upgrades to its water treatment works at Barsham to bring clean water, clean living and a more resilient environment to over 75,000 people across a wide swathe of the region. A new reservoir will contain over 20 million litres of water. New pumps, filters and tanks, chemical dosing and plant-washing facilities will combine to ensure clean, fresh, great-tasting water.  

CKHH companies are enacting adaptive strategies to mitigate climate change, including leading the charge in the hydrogen revolution. Day 2 of the Global Climate Action Conference explored how CKHH companies deal with climate-change extreme events and how they are transitioning to climate-friendly energy generation.
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CKHH companies aren’t just spending money on traditional renewable energy – they are investing in original R&D to bring innovative solutions to bear. Pilot projects advance to become invaluable solutions to mass adoption of green technologies that just might save us all.
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Northumbrian Water (NWG) has a zero-carbon target to hit in 2027 – and they just hit another important milestone on the way there. Carbon emissions have fallen more than 90% since 2008, when they stood at 303,000 tonnes. In 2021, NWG improved further, reducing carbon output by more than 50% year-on-year to their current level of 22,000 tonnes.

All of NWG’s 1,886 sites are now powered with renewable energy. The popular “Power from Poo” programme sees NWG transform 100% of wastewater sludge into power. Advanced Anaerobic Digestion plants on Tyneside and Teesside process around 2 million cubic metres of sludge to generate 10MW of energy – enough to power around 20,000 homes. Every little bit helps as NWG moves to net-zero Carbon.  

Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival is back! The world’s best and brightest innovators in water management will return for the sixth iteration of this fount of creativity. Online and live attendees will bring their solutions to address issues related to cybersecurity, climate change, water scarcity and other important topics. Scientists and engineers will mingle with musicians, comedians, environmental activists and documentarians at the Newcastle Racecourse in July 2022. Stay wet, Northumbria!  

Northumbrian Water has been awarded over £6 million in the second round of the Water Breakthrough Challenge, led by the UK’s water regulator, Ofwat. The funds will advance projects which will help to reduce leakage and enable innovation across the utilities sector. The award will flow to two separate projects: the National Leakage Research and Test Centre and Stream, an open data-sharing platform to improve collaborative research.

Northumbrian Water has taken an expansive view of improving water in the UK across the North East, Essex and Suffolk by asking the public how they could improve the river and coastal environment where a public right of way exists. Over 30.2km of waterways have been improved, far beyond regulatory requirements, in response to public guidance that prioritised areas as diverse as biodiversity, access and water quality. The area has benefited from improved signage, a red squirrel-protecting ranger, a new osprey observation base for birdwatchers, and river restoration including funding to support visitor facilities, paths and boardwalks across a 404-hectare wetland.  

COVID-19 may be invisible to the eye, but not to scientists working with Northumbrian Water to trace its spread by sampling wastewater.
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