Anglian Water says it's investing £1.85m in Everton to tackle harmful effects of phosphorus

Anglian Water’s @one Alliance is working across Beds, Bucks and Herts to install new equipment to remove phosphorous from wastewater and improve the quality of rivers.

Phosphorous is widely used in soaps and cleaning products, but can be harmful to wildlife when it reaches watercourses.

In the Environment Agency's latest annual report, Anglian Water was given just two stars – ranking it "requires improvement" and hilighting that it was involved in "serious pollution incidents" in 2023.

Regan Harris, spokeswoman for Anglian Water, said: “Our current environmental investment programme is one of the biggest in the sector.

"We’re really pleased that these upgrades to our water recycling centres in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire will help to protect nearby rivers and increase our resilience to climate change; by helping us make sure the wastewater is treated to an even higher standard than usual before it’s returned to the natural environment.

“We know how important rivers and the wider environment are to our customers and local communities. That’s why we’ve pledged through our Get River Positive programme that our water recycling processes will not harm rivers.”

Anglian Water says the investment across the three counties will total approximately £15m and include the installation of new equipment to reinforce the current water recycling process and help to prevent harmful algae growth and improve water quality in local rivers.

Over the next five years, Anglian Water says it will double its investment into the environment to £4bn as part of proposals in "its largest ever business plan", totalling £9bn - if given final approval by Ofwat.