Sewer upgrade of £4m to prevent future bursts

Southern Water said it wanted to put an end to the "regular disruption" to the community

A £4m sewer upgrade has started to reduce bursts on a section in Hampshire.

The scheme, which will last around three weeks, will involve Southern Water's teams relining more than 500m (1,640ft) of sewer at Ashurst Bridge near Totton.

The company carried out investigations to assess the issues caused by the sewer bursts over the last five years.

Project engineer Jason Masters said it was "delighted" to start work on a solution "that will make a real difference".

Southern Water said it had worked on a long-term solution to prevent the pressurised sewer, also known as a rising main, from bursting.

Mr Masters said it wanted to put an end to the "regular disruption" to the community.

"By relining this section of sewer it will provide much-needed resilience to our network and reduce the likelihood of future issues.

"We know this work over the next three weeks will be disruptive and we're sorry for impact it is causing – but we know this will make a huge difference in the long run."

He added that dozens of tankers would be used during the project as the company manages flows to reduce the impact.

Southern Water said that further work to alleviate issues in the area would take place over the next two years.