Roads to close overnight as water upgrade begins

Teams have started replacing pipes on the Clouds Steep and A396 Dunster to Timberscombe Road

The final phase of a £850,000 water supply improvement project has begun.

After eight months of work, Wessex Water can start to complete their hefty investment to replace mains in and around Timberscombe in Somerset.

Teams are due to start replacing pipes on the Clouds Steep and A396 Dunster to Timberscombe road to the north.

Following consultation with the local parish council and customers the company will carry out the work at night allowing the main routes through Exmoor to reopen to traffic during the day.

Community support

The road will be closed to through traffic just north of Timberscombe between 19:00-05:00 GMT from Sunday through to Thursday, with a signposted diversion in place, but it will be reopened using temporary traffic lights during the day.

Wessex Water design engineer Egidijus Mockevicius said the team is "grateful" for the support from the community.

"Their guidance has been crucial to the planning of the project and we believe that carrying the work out at night allows us the best opportunity to finish it as promptly as possible," he said.

"We'll also be restricting the noisiest activity, such as road cutting or breaking to between 7-11pm, as well as using silent generators for lighting, while acoustic barriers will be placed around areas where pipe bursting and winching operations are taking place.'

Wessex Water said it has written to local customers to confirm the details of the second, final phase.

Construction is expected to last for up to 16 weeks.