A hi-tech treatment plant has ended the daily discharge of almost 4,000 tonnes of raw sewage into Cork Harbour — the equivalent of 20,000 wheelie bins full of raw sewage.

A new wastewater treatment plant will end the discharge of the equivalent of almost 20,000 wheelie bins of raw sewage into Cork Harbour within weeks.

Work started this week on a multi-million euro sewage project to end the daily discharge into Cork Harbour of 20 tonnes of raw sewage — the equivalent of three Olympic-size swimming pools.