Ageing mains to be replaced in Kennington and Camberwell
Works to replace Victorian water mains that are susceptible to leaks and bursts are due to start in Kennington and Camberwell within the next two weeks.
New water main being installed in London
The work will be undertaken in the SE1, SE11, SE17, SE5 and SW9 postcode areas, including the following streets:
- Camberwell New Road
- Denmark Hill
- Elephant and Castle
- Kennington Park Road
Businesses and residents who wish to find out more about the works are invited to attend a drop-in session on Thursday 2 October at Flaxman Sport Centre, Carew Street, Camberwell, between 4:30pm and 7pm.
Thames Water is investing more than £4 million on the improvements, which will involve replacing more than 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) of pipes that are up to 150 years old. The original cast iron mains will be replaced with new plastic pipes that are more durable and flexible. Works will start in early October and will be completed within a year.
Kathryn Moore, Project Manager for Thames Water, said:
"We are committed to tackling leakage in London. This can only be achieved by systematically replacing all of its cast iron water mains that date back as far as the Victorian era. Due to the scale of this work it won't happen overnight, but the benefits of the project are already evident with leakage now at its lowest ever rate.
"Reducing leakage is particularly important as London's water resources are being put under increasing pressure from the effects of climate change, population growth and rising demand for water. We're committed to replacing more than 1,000 miles of water mains by 2010.
"We understand that work of this nature does bring inevitable disruption, but this huge investment will bring benefits to the area for years to come, as we should not have to carry out repairs here in the future.
"We are working closely with the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark to reduce the impact on traffic and thereby minimise disruption. The latest construction techniques will be used where possible, reducing the need to dig long trenches."
