South Staffs Water to rehabilitate 155 miles of old pipes including streets across the Black Country in £84m scheme - details here
Ageing water pipes in Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell will be repaired as part of an £84 million major improvement scheme by South Staffs Water.
Bosses said the project was its biggest mains rehabilitation project to date and will result in 155 miles of old pipes being replaced over the next five years across the South Staffs region and in Cambridge where the company also operates.
Crews will be targeting areas of the network which have a history of bursting or leaking. Among them will be Stafford Street in Walsall where a sinkhole developed in 2020 resulting in the road being shut for three weeks followed by an unconnected burst main pipe which was blamed on dry conditions creating movement in the ground.
This programme is due to get underway this week with the first works in Edward Avenue in Aldridge followed by Stafford Street from July 22. Further schemes will be carried out later this year in Dudley, Wednesbury and Halesowen.
Leabrook Road in Wednesbury has suffered repeated flooding. The area was left underwater last November when a pipe burst leaving properties including a church flooded and round 700 customers without supplies. Prior to that the same streets suffered flooding in 2018 following an incident where a workman accidently burst a pipe resulting in a major recue operation when the levels rise to 9ft.
The company said by replacing these parts of the network, the number of leaks will be reduced, water quality will be enhanced and water resources will be aided with less water being lost from the pipeline.
South Staffs Water capital delivery director Robert Boswell said: “A fundamental part of our service to customers is to provide clean, high-quality water supplies. Key to this is protecting and upgrading our network so that it lasts for generations.
“Undertaking work on the highways can lead to short-term traffic disruption on busy roads;however, we plan to work as efficiently as possible to keep this to a minimum while we make improvements for the long term.
“We will be deploying trenchless techniques wherever possible to reduce disruption by tunnelling under the road in some instances to prevent the need to dig a trench across a whole street or road.
“We have identified our first two years’ worth of mains replacement, and, as we schedule work further into our plan, we will work closely with local authorities, highways and other utility providers to renew mains and other services in one go to limit future disruptions.
”Over the next five years, South Staffordshire Water has committed to reducing leakage in the South Staffs region by 20 per cent.The first set of rehab work is scheduled to begin July 14 in Edward Avenue in Aldridge, before another one gets underway on Stafford Street in Walsall from July 22. Further schemes will be happening later in the year in Dudley, Wednesbury and Halesowen.•
Between 2025-2030 South Staffordshire Water Plc is planning to invest £150m in maintaining and improving its water infrastructure including its service reservoirs and treatment works.
The company is also investing in alternative water sources in the Cambridge region.
