Severn Trent has started construction of the UK's first "pioneering" operational ozone wastewater treatment plant.

The company is installing the technology to "help boost river health and move stretches of river to bathing quality standard" in an investment of £78 million.

Installation of the plant is now underway in Warwickshire, with huge gas cylinders that hold ozone (O₃) gas having been installed at the Frankton wastewater treatment site – something that has not been trialled before in the UK until now.

Severn Trent said it means the treated water returning to the local river will be of the "highest standard".

The disinfectant, that is usually used to clean drinking water, kills algae, iron, manganese and other contaminants in the water and also removes micro-pollutants and pharmaceuticals.

As part of its Green Recovery programme, the company is planning to create two further plants: one in Ludlow and another in Warwickshire, planned to be in operation by the end of March 2025.

Severn Trent is working to make some of the River Leam bathing quality (image via Severn Trent)

Wilfred Denga, project manager from Severn Trent, said: "We're leading the way when it comes to river health – whether that's through our ambitious spills programme, huge investments or innovative technologies.

"The use of ozone to treat wastewater has the potential to truly change the future of wastewater treatment and this marks a really exciting step in our programme.

"The trials we'll conduct in Warwickshire and Ludlow will see us use the technology for the first time.

"That's seeing us go beyond what's expected of us and is better for rivers and the environment. The ozone treatment takes treatment one step further and makes the water as clean as possible – helping us with our ambition to create bathing rivers."

Severn Trent's £78 million investment to move stretches of river towards bathing quality has been seeing the company create huge storage tanks, separate waste networks and now use pioneering wastewater treatment.

By 2025, it will have moved sections of the River Leam and River Teme closer towards bathing quality standard, including wider benefits to the River Avon.