As WATER companies are told by water regulator Ofwat to accelerate plans for investment to improve infrastructure.

South West Water has announced it will accelerate £130m investment plans – although none are in the east Cornwall and west Devon areas.

As well as pledging to cut leakage from customers’ pipes in Devon and Cornwall, the water company is to accelete the delivery of treatment upgrades along the catchments of the rivers Camel and Axe.

It is also accelerating the pace of storm overflows improvements in the region, including Sidmouth and Falmouth.

No mention is made of upgrading the storm overflows to prevent the currently frequent sewage flow into the catchment of the river Tamar at Calstock, however.

Susan Davy, chief executive offfcer of the Pennon Group, said: ‘This is positive news for the Greater South West with around £130m of new investment. We can continue going further and faster to reduce the use of storm overflows, protect natural ecosystems, our beaches and rivers and support house building.

‘We continue to invest in water resources to boost water resilience with innovation solutions such as repurposing redundant quarries and mines to store water, and desalination for the first time on UK mainland.’