Severn Trent has submitted plans to expand a sewage treatment plant near Measham.

The existing facility in Snarestone needs to be increased in size to meet expected higher levels of daily flow to the plant and tighter regulations on the amount of phosphorus that can be in the treated sewage when it is discharged.

Phosphorus is often found in sewage as most cleaning products and detergents contain a high level of it.

If too much is released into waterways, it can cause harmful algae growth.

Seven Trent has said in a planning application submitted to Leicestershire County Council it needs space for more equipment, including new tanks, pumping stations and a laboratory, and is eyeing up the field next to the existing treatment plant.

The extension would stretch from Snarestone Road to the edge of the existing facilities. The expansion will improve the quality of its discharges into the River Mease, Severn Trent said, and will have environmental benefits in turn.

It will also create new jobs, the company added, and ensure there is sufficient capacity at the plant to keep up with future population growth.

The plant currently serves around 2,051 people. The project would need to be completed by March 2025 for it to be able to get new permits.

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The main access to the plant would remain the same as it currently is from Snarestone Road, but this would be modified and improved to make sure it is suitable for construction traffic, the application states.

A new access would be added to the east of the existing one, off Appleby Lane, this is to facilitate construction, Severn Trent said, and will give the landowner access to their farm once the building is complete.

The site will be screened by new hedgerows and trees. Leicestershire County Council will be deciding on the application as the local authority responsibly for waste infrastructure.