Road works set to take place in the centre of Devizes have been delayed by the town's upcoming carnival.

An extensive works project was due to take place by Wessex Water to improve piping in the area has been halted temporarily.

Sidmouth Street, Sheep Street, Bridewell Street, Long Street and Morris Lane in Devizes are all due to be affected.

The work will be split, allowing one section to be completed and roads reopened before moving on to the next. 

Wiltshire Times:

According to town councillor Iain Wallis, work was due to begin in August but as a result of the town's popular carnival parade, taking place on September 2, it has been delayed.

The scheme will now begin on Monday, September 4 to allow the carnival to take place without any issues. The project is still planned to go on until 2025.

The £1 million upgrade to pipes includes replacing cast-iron mains with plastic pipes to ensure a more reliable future water supply and reduce the risk of leaks.

In total, more than two kilometres of pipes will be replaced throughout the centre of Devizes before April 2025, with each phase being planned to ensure the minimum amount of disruption on the local community.

It is unclear if the delay affects the long-term timetable for the project.

The ageing pipes have been causing quality issues including discoloured water and poor pressure.

Wessex Water project manager Jamie Prangle said : “We recognise that this is a major investment in improving the water supply throughout Devizes and we’re working closely with customers, businesses and Wiltshire Council to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum as much as possible. 

“Where possible, we will be keeping roads open to through traffic and working with local people to ensure their access is unhindered but where we do need to shut routes, we will be completing the work quickly and safely and reopening them as we finish.’’ 

“We’ve been meeting with and writing to customers and businesses directly and this will continue throughout the course of the scheme and we’re also inviting them to come and meet with us to view the scheme plans and answer any questions they may have.’’

Wessex Water’s Director of Construction and Infrastructure Maintenance, Eddie Rant said: “By investing heavily in replacing them with new plastic pipes, we can ensure that the water supply is improved, more reliable and of a better quality for many years to come."

The opening phase of the project will continue for 27 weeks before finishing in February of next year, pipes will first be replaced in Sidmouth Street, Sheep Street, Bridewell Street, Long Street and Morris Lane in Devizes.

A further three phases will follow from February, June and September of 2024 before the entire scheme is completed by April 2025.

All work will be split allowing one section to be completed at a time so that roads will be reopened before moving on to the next.

He also stated that there will be an opportunity to meet with Wessex Water directly, and three public drop-in sessions will be held throughout July to find out more about the investment.

Wednesday 5 July the project team can be seen at Devizes Town Hall between 2-8 pm, Thursday 13 July and Thursday 20 July the project team can be found in Devizes Market between 9 am-3 pm.

Councillor Iain Wallis for Devizes and Wiltshire said that the new investment was a “positive thing” stating that Wessex Water had taken on the advice from the council of making as many roads as possible still accessible to businesses and the public.

His suggestion of using social media to distribute information and road updates has been taken on by Wessex Water and information should soon be accessible through Town Councillors' social media.

For more information head to wessexwater.co.uk