Southern Water rolls out spill-busting water butt programme to campaign hotspot

Southern Water is taking its free water butt installation programme – that cut storm overflow spills by 70% on the Isle of Wight – to Whitstable in Kent.

The community – home to very active clean seas campaign group SOS Whitstable – will be offered around 1,000 free butts, to keep rainwater out of the combined sewer system.

Whitstable is one of six "pathfinder" areas that Southern Water is trialling innovative and nature-based solutions in, designed to slow the flow of rainwater entering the sewer system.