Maintenance works are being carried out at the Margate Wastewater Pumping Station at Foreness Point.
Transfer pumps have been isolated while repairs are carried out and queues of tankers are in use to control storm well levels and keep the station operational.
Between now and 2030 Southern Water is expanding and upgrading the Kent network to make sure water supply remains reliable and capacity to treat more wastewater is increased.
The works have meant the cancellation of today’s (August 23) Margate Parkrun as tankers are currently using the course taken by runners.
A Southern Water spokesperson said: “We are carrying out planned maintenance at Margate Wastewater Pumping Station.
“As part of these works, the transfer pumps at Margate WPS have been isolated to facilitate repairs.
“We are managing levels using tankers to ensure the storm well remains at a low level and that operational levels at Margate pumping station are maintained.”
From April 2025, the typical Southern Water household bill for combined water and wastewater rose by 46.7%, from £1.31 per day to £1.93 per day.
Southern Water says bill increases are needed to fund improvements.
The company says it plans a £10 billion investment across the region over the next five years – including £38m on sewer upgrade work at Broadstairs and £15m in Margate, Westbrook, Cliftonville and Birchington. A £24m upgrade has already been carried out in Ramsgate.
Work in Thanet includes £8m for improved resilience at Margate and Broadstairs pumping stations and £2m to replace mains in Margate.
Some £1.5m is planned for storm overflow reduction work with much of this taking place in Broadstairs.
‘Bill increases are needed to fund improvements’.
Could this be because the owners of this once public now private utility have exploited a natural monopoly and borrowed against their (formerly our) assets and distributed the proceeds in bonuses and dividends?
Not only are we paying but paying twice for something that was ours in the first place.
Though there is the argument that successive governments of all hues allowed this to happen in exchange for keeping bills artificially low. The time has now come to pay the increases that had been put off for way too long.
That’s Thatcherism for you. Still you won’t find anyone telling the truth of the consequences of privatisation, their too busy wringing their hands about brown people coming in boats, another problem caused by the Tories, now dressed up as Reform and using the migrants as a scapegoat for their disastrous time in government. Again, you won’t hear much about that, why let facts get in the way of reality!
Why do this on the last bank holiday of the summer ? It’s not a great look
Not a great smell either!
This is just a little insider information from the Reform Party I heard from our future Prime Minister. The one the only to good enough to call daddy! Top man! Alpha Dog! Our beloved English Savior! Nigel Farage was in Margate the other day he said we were coming up with a plan with Thanet Council to launch the sewage straight over to France. This is what the Reform Party is all about. We are going to ruin the French and shoot our waste straight into the Europe. This is what a hard BREXIT looks like. Blam!
Have a lie down and a glass of lukewarm tap water.
I have gotten up from my lie down and am so excited to be increasing my intake of that Luke warm water. The more we contribute to the sewage system the better. I also will be eating six meals a day of pure barbecue if needed! This is what job creation looks like. With Reform in power, we are cleaning up this place. Thanet is the top destination! Margate is number one baby! That’s right Kent Online posted the article stating it the BEST SEASIDE TOWN TO RELOCATE TO IN 2025. See the difference a little patriotic action with the Reform party action in the Kent County Council. Nigel said the glory days are coming to back to Old Blighty, he has plans to create a Mar-a-Lago in Margate! I almost wept when I heard him say those words. What an absolute patriot. Legend!
So where are the tankers taking the waste?
They’re taking the tankers to ‘Real World’. They heard it was running out of crap to post.😀
George Lawrence, the tankers are what progress looks like! We are getting along well with the project. The French best stay away from our fishing territory and they better stop sending their musicians and chefs here taking away British jobs. I just heard a group of people speaking French right outside of where Charles Dickens lived. This is unacceptable! Good thing, Reform Party in Kent County Council is in talks to bring in a proper law enforcing a Mandatory Speaking English in Public. Nigel is going to present the idea to Parliament. We will set up our sewage cannons, which will have a 50 mile range of fire. This is more than enough for what we need! In a few months now we’ll be dumping our waste on the European mainland. GLORY BRITANNIA!!!
At a guess I would say Weatherlees (sp) treatment plant near Sandwich