Road closures are set to begin as a six-month scheme to upgrade a Wiltshire town’s sewer system kicks off.
Wessex Water’s £2 million project to tackle flooding in Chippenham is scheduled to start on Thursday, July 25, after the utilities firm announced the works earlier this year.
Over the following six months, extra capacity will be added to the sewer network, alongside upgrades in the east of the town, in a bid to prevent the system from being overwhelmed and spilling over onto nearby properties.
As part of this work, sewer construction means some roads in the area will be closed between July and September.
Phase one of the project is due to close the busy London Road to through traffic between Thursday, July 25, and August 31, from near Wiltshire Tyres to the junction next to the Pack Horse Inn.
This will be followed by the closure of Black Cross, from August 26 to September 20, and Long Close between September 16 and September 27.
READ MORE: Several roads to close as six-month sewer project to cause disruption
London Road in Chippenham (Image: Newsquest)
Access for residents will be maintained during the work.
The play area off of Long Close will also be closed until January while a 10-metre deep storage tank, capable of holding 250,000 litres, is constructed.
Wessex Water project manager Paul Delves explained the project is designed to reduce flooding risk for residents and protect the River Avon.
He said: “By building this additional storage, we can help to ensure the sewer network’s ability to withstand the arrival of large volumes of water in a short space of time, such as during a heavy storm.
“The tank we are building will be able to hold an additional 250,000 litres of water back from the network, to ensure the threat of the system becoming overwhelmed and causing flooding to nearby homes is diminished.
London Road in Chippenham (Image: Newsquest)
“This stormwater combines in the sewer with the foul water from homes and businesses and can also cause overflows to operate, but by retaining it in the tank, it can be returned to the sewer later, prior to being piped to a water recycling centre for treatment.
“We’re also building more than 200 metres of gravity sewer and nearly 300 metres of rising main as part of our investment in the area.”
Mr Delves added that Wessex Water has worked with residents and Wiltshire Council to minimise the disruption caused by these road closures.
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