A water company says it has reduced storm overflow use and prevented pollution over the past year.

A year ago South West Water (SWW) announced it was investing £760 million to reduce storm overflows across the region as part of its record investment over the following five years.

Twelve months later, SWW says it has reduced storm overflow use by 17 per cent and cut spill duration by 25 per cent over the past year despite the South West experiencing a substantially wetter year than the rest of England.

Storm overflows are design features installed by water companies to protect buildings from storm floods.

These overflows alleviate the pressure on sewers during rain storms, by spilling excess water into rivers or seas, stopping homes and businesses being flooded.

This prevents any risk of homes being flooded but lead to diluted sewage ending up in rivers and seas at times of heavy rainfall.

The water company has come under fire for over-use of these overflows as the sewage system in the region is more frequently overwhelmed.

The latest data from SWW shows improvement, the company claims.

It says its reduction in the frequency of overflow use comes despite the region having 62 per cent more rain than England overall during last year

Richard Price, of SWW, said: “We are prioritising beaches during the bathing season and targeting our highest spilling sites.

“We have reduced by 50 per cent the number of sites that spill more than 100 times per year, and our top five spilling sites have reduced spills by 50 per cent following targeted interventions.

“Since last year, more than 8,300 spills have been prevented as a direct result of investment and operational improvements. This forms part of our 15-year plan, backed by around £760 million of investment to 2030.”