Crowborough set for investment in water network

Fresh drinking water supplier South East Water will be replacing a 300 metre section of pipeline that has burst 17 times in the last five years. The project forms part of South East Water’s commitment to invest £489 million in improving infrastructure between 2020 and 2025.

Jeremy Dufour, Project Manager for South East Water, said: “A water main reaching the end of its working life can begin to become unreliable and this can result in bursts, leaks and unexpected disruption to the surrounding community. We know how much frustration this causes to our customers and motorists when roads are impacted.

“The volume of bursts on this section of pipeline in Steep Road, Crowborough is unacceptable to us and by replacing the pipeline, we’ll be securing the flow of top quality drinking water to residents now and reducing the need to repair the pipe in the future.”

The project is due to begin today, 29 August, and is expected to take approximately 11 weeks to complete. The work will take place between the properties ‘Rumsden’ and ‘Shambles Cottage’. A diversion route is in place.

Jeremy continued: “Road closures are always a last resort but the health and safety of the public, motorists and the community is always our number one priority.”

“I would like to thank the community in advance for their patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work.”

Phil Jones, Head of Leakage Operations for South East Water, added: “I’m delighted to see another project to replace an unreliable water main about to start.

“Leaks and bursts do happen on our 9,000 miles of pipes and although the majority are repaired, where we have a consistently unreliable water main, engineering projects such as this scheme in Crowborough are vital to improving our infrastructure, protecting the long term supply of water to the area, and reducing unexpected disruption to the community.”

Residents can find out more about the project at southeastwater.co.uk/steeproad.

For more information on South East Water’s work to improve its network of pipes, visit southeastwater.co.uk/engineering.