A BUILDING project in Herefordshire has scooped a top prize at an awards ceremony.

The Bewdley Bank service reservoir project won the Designed in Wales Award at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE Wales Cymru) Awards 2021 announced today (December 1).

The prize is awarded to the best project designed in Wales and constructed elsewhere, either in the UK or overseas.

The work at the reservoir, located near Burghill, just north of Hereford, was carried out by Mott MacDonald Bentley working as part of the Capital Delivery Alliance for Welsh Water.

The upgrade was needed to “increase the resilience of Hereford’s water supply network” by adding more storage for treated water.

The project, which saw the size of the reservoir expanded was first announced by Welsh Water in November 2019, as part of a £31 million investment to improve the drinking water network in Herefordshire.

The judges were impressed with the attention to detail throughout the project.

ICE said the project had a strong sustainability focus with a public health driver at its core and an emphasis on landscape considerations, materials re-use, sustainable drainage and ecology.

This is the second ICE Award the reservoir has won, having received the Innovation Award from ICE West Midlands in June.

The awards are held each year and recognise teams and individuals that have delivered some of the best civil engineering projects and achievements across the country.