A NEW pumping station to stop sewage from entering the River Severn during major flooding will be allowed to be built after councillors gave plans the green light.

Worcestershire County Council's planning committee backed plans by Severn Trent Water to build a replacement sewage pumping station in New Street in Upton to prevent the current station, which it says could no longer cope during floods, from overflowing into flood water and entering the River Severn.

The new station would be built near to the existing flood defences and an Environment Agency storage tank off New Street.

Severn Trent said the existing station cannot cope if it did flood meaning sewage could then enter the flood water and into the River Severn causing a health hazard.

County councillor Paul Middlebrough had said he supported the plan but felt the design was “austere."

"Anything to do with water management in and out of Upton is absolutely essential," he told the council's planning committee at a virtual meeting on Tuesday (July 7).

The station would also have a storm overflow to collect water during extremely bad weather and a new wall would be put in place so it does not disrupt existing flood defences.

Upton frequently floods when heavy storms hit the county and particularly suffered during major flooding earlier this year and in 2007 and 2014.

Conservation officers at Malvern Hills District Council said they approved of the plan in principle but objected to the amount of concrete and hardstanding that was planned to be used.

Officers also said walls and hand railings should be more sympathetic to the character town’s conservation area as well as nearby listed buildings.

Upton Town Council said it had reservations about the design of the new pumping station but would like to see the plan approved to better protect the town.