Newchurch residents will be able to quiz Southern Water about a major £5million water main replacement project next week, ahead of around 6 months of disruption beginning in October.
A customer drop-in event is being held at Newchurch Pavilion on Watery Lane on 2nd September between 15:30 and 18:00.
Residents will be able to meet members of the project team, including project managers, and learn more about the work and how traffic will be managed while it takes place.
As previously reported by Island Echo, Southern Water is preparing to replace ageing water mains and connections between Winford Road and The Shute, with work beginning on 5th October and expected to continue until early April 2027.
The utility company says a 1,200m section of water main between Winford Road and The Shute has suffered 10 bursts in the past decade, resulting in disruption while emergency repairs have been carried out.
Overall, the project will see 3,686m of water main replaced, including old cast iron pipes which have been in the ground for up to 100 years.
Plans previously detailed by Island Echo show 2,150m of new PE pipe will be installed, alongside the renewal of customer service pipes to property boundaries. A total of 1,815m of uPVC pipe, 798m of 4-inch cast iron pipe and 1,203m of 3-inch cast iron pipe will be removed.
A rolling road closure will be introduced from 5th October, starting at Winford Road before moving towards The Shute as the work progresses.
A diversion agreed with Island Roads will take motorists via the A3056 through Horringford and Arreton, before continuing along The Downs Road and Knighton Shute.
Adam Wilds, Southern Water Stakeholder Manager for the Isle of Wight, has said:
“This £5 million investment will strip out outdated PVC pipes which become brittle over time and replace them with modern materials.
“But big projects like this do involve disruption such as temporary lights or diversions so it’s crucial we keep our customers and stakeholders informed. Doing a full replacement means we won’t be coming back again and again to do emergency work.”
Southern Water says 11 projects have already been delivered on the Isle of Wight this year, with 6,751m of pipe upgraded or replaced, or improvements made to valves and other equipment.
Residents affected by the Newchurch project have previously been warned there could be short interruptions to their water supply while properties are connected to the new main; however, the provider says these should last no longer than 4 hours, with affected customers receiving 48 hours’ notice.
The drop-in takes place at Newchurch Pavilion, Watery Lane, Newchurch, PO36 0LX, on 2nd September between 15:30-18:00.
