Work on £45m reservoir safety improvements begins

A large crane is being used to lift three 30m long pipes into place at Bewl Water reservoir

Work on £45m plans to install better drainage infrastructure at a Kent dam has begun.

A series of three 30m-long (98.4 ft), 1.7m-wide (5.8ft) pipes will be installed at Bewl Water, near Wadhurst, to make the reservoir more resilient.

The new spillway, which will allow Southern Water to drain the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool every minute from the dam, comes after recommendations following the partial collapse of Whaley Bridge dam in 2019, which saw 1,500 people evacuated from the Derbyshire town.

Tania Flasck, Southern Water director of water operations, said: "This project means we can keep the public safe if we have to in an emergency."

Ms Flasck added that the new pipes would allow the water level in the dam to be lowered by 5m (16.4ft) in five days,. It currently can be lowered by 15cm (6in) in that time.

Water would be channelled into the River Bewl, where it would then eventually flow into the River Medway.

A Southern Water spokesperson said the spillway works came after a national report following the incident at Whaley Bridge, which mandated public safety improvement, but that it was "highly unlikely to ever be used".

The reservoir is currently only 65% full after a spell of dry, hot weather and heatwaves in the South East and across the UK.

An auxiliary spillway at Whaley Bridge collapsed following heavy rain, prompting a full-scale emergency rescue effort.

A large crane is being used to lift the pipes in place, supported by a team of divers.

Works are being funded by money from Southern Water customer bills, with Ms Flasck adding that "every single penny" of bill payments goes towards projects, such as that at Bewl.