Severn Trent is spending almost £8 million improving Ledbury's sewage plant to meet strict new Environment Agency standards.

According to the company, purified water pumped into the nearby Leadon will be cleaner than the river itself by next January.

The improvements to the Little Marcle Road plant are designed to meet environmental standards for at least the next 20 years.

The plant will make use of the latest activated sludge process, instead of the less effective system of bacteria beds.

The activated sludge process makes use of micro-organisms to break down or transform waste into more environmentally acceptable forms.

Treated waste water is separated from the sludge and dispersed, in this case into the the River Leadon. The remaining sludge will still need to be taken away by tankers, which has long been the case at the Ledbury plant.

Two new "oxidation ditches" used in the activated sludge process will be built on the site of the old bacteria beds. Two new tanks are also being installed.

The older bacteria bed technology relies on channels and filters and is not likely to produce effluent that would meet the strict new environmental standards.

Severn Trent assistant engineer Ran Virdi said: "Using the latest technology, the water passes through various processes to leave it cleaner than the river itself."

Mayor Keith Francis visited the plant last Friday, to see how work was progressing.

He said: "It's a complete refurbishment and it's very important with a growing population in this town to have a modern, up-to-date treatment centre."

In recent years, residents living close to the plant have complained about the smell during the hot summer months.

Coun Francis, who lives in near Albert Road, said: "Smells should be even less obvious in the future."

Although considered cutting-edge, work on developing the activated sludge process actually started at the end of the 19th Century, involving British and American scientists. The world's first successful plant was not operational until 1914.