Yorkshire Water is to pump £60 million into Bradford to improve the district's water supply and environment.

Storm overflows, treatment works and miles of mains will be improved in one of the biggest projects of its kind ever undertaken by the firm.

The work will begin this month and should be completed by 2005, but Yorkshire Water admits the sheer scale of the scheme will mean disruption for customers and residents.

Chellow Heights water treatment works at Allerton, will be upgraded first at a cost of £10 million.

Deborah Feldhaus (pictured), YW's asset manager, is currently overseeing the work at Chellow Heights -- a job she loves.

"It is hard to explain to people what I do to start with but I am pretty enthusiastic which is probably why I have decided to do it because I was determined," the 34-year-old said.

Around 200,000 tonnes of water from Angram and Scar House, Thornton Moor and Stubden impounding reservoirs and Lobwood pumping station flows into the Allerton nerve centre serving 300,000 customers throughout Bradford.

And in July 2002, work will begin on a £20 million project to improve the water mains under the city's ring road, stretching from Idle Hill in the north to Daisy Hill in the south.

It will involve the renovation of 123km of water main and take three years to complete.

The final stage will involve the upgrading of 99 storm overflows, the majority of which will be renovated or replaced by April 2005.

Yorkshire Water's managing director Kevin Whiteman said: "£60 million is a significant amount we are investing in Bradford's infrastructure and, in fact, one of the largest sums we have ever spent in one city to date.

"The work on the Bradford ring is one of the biggest water mains improvement projects in our history."

And he pledged that the company would do all it could to minimise the disruption during the work.

Mr Whiteman said that an internal formal working party was being formed to talk to businesses, communities and Bradford Council.

And during the autumn, the company will launch a Bradford Strategy Liaison Group meeting regularly to discuss how the work is progressing and highlight any problems.