New filters will be in use by the end of this month that should mean an improvement to drinking water in the Helston area.

Wendron Water Treatment Works, which supplies nine per cent of the population of Cornwall with drinking water, including Helston, is one of two plants in |a £14.5 million project by South West Water.

Five new filters have been installed at Wendron, with another six at the Restormal works.

Chris Rockey, science and water quality manager at South West Water, said: “We already have some of the best tap water in the country but this major investment will deliver even better drinking water to our customers in Cornwall.

“We will be bringing the new filters on line one at a time and blending the new and improved water with the water currently produced by the works to ensure a smooth transition.”

The five new filters at Wendron join the existing filters have |been refurbished.

Customers started receiving a blend including the new water from late September and all the filters should be in use by the |end of December.

The new filters are made of granular activated carbon, which is a porous material with a large internal surface area – just one teaspoon has the same surface area as a football pitch.

Due to its large surface area |and specific chemistry it can remove large quantities of natural and manmade organic matter sometimes present in rivers |and reservoirs supplying water treatment works.