Water supplies in Exmoor National Park are set for a significant boost courtesy of a £850,000 investment.
Degrading water mains throughout the village of Timberscombe are being replaced in a major project to enhance the system, which will get under way in January.
The eight-month west Somerset project will be completed in phases to keep disruption for villagers to a minimum as much as possible and follow a series of bursts on the main in recent years.
It follows a £600,000 investment further east in the county earlier last year, which saw just under a mile of water main near the village of Stogursey, west of Bridgwater, replaced in the opening phase of a major overhaul south of Hinkley Point Power Station.
Wessex Water recently held a public information session in Timberscombe to brief villagers and the parish council about the project, which will continue until September. Further updates are being sent throughout the village prior to the start of the work in the new year as well as during the course of the scheme.
Project manager Egidijus Mockevicius said:
“This is an essential project to replace existing mains that have suffered from a significant number of bursts in the last few years.
“This has caused inconvenience and disruption to customers in the area and by installing new plastic pipes will ensure improved water quality and a more reliable source for years to come.
“We recognise that this work will cause disruption in the village and, as well as working closely with local authorities to minimise those impacts, we have also met villagers at our well-attended drop-in session to answer their questions and will be keeping them informed throughout.’’
Further supply work is being planned on the A386 Dunster to Timberscombe road to the north of the village from January 2025, with the details of that work being finalised later next year.
Wessex Water is continuing to invest in the supply network by renewing ageing water mains as well as maintaining and improving facilities that help store and move water around the region to supply its customers, with around £12 million spent each year on a regional network spanning more than 12,000 kilometres.
The plan, now subject to regulatory approval, includes ambitious proposals in relation to the supply of water to ensure the system can cope with the growing demands from population growth and challenges of climate change.
