Road reopens early as Pluckley residents benefit from a new water main

16th May 2022

Residents of Pluckley are reaping the rewards of a brand-new, £700,000 water main.

Work carried out by South East Water to replace more than 1.2 kilometres of aging, burst-prone pipe which often caused supply interruptions, is five weeks ahead of schedule and nearing completion.

Jeremy Dufour, South East Water Project Manager, said: “The old pipe would often burst, causing unnecessary disruption to the local community.

“I’m delighted our customers are now receiving their top quality drinking water through the new section of pipe which will significantly reduce the number of costly and disruptive water main bursts in the area.”

Although the closure will be lifted today, Monday 16 May, and the road restored to its original state, temporary traffic lights will be in place to enable the final stages of work to be completed. The traffic lights will be located at:

  • Junction of The Pinnock and Mundy Bois Road
  • Junction of Crockenhill Rd and Rock Hill Road
  • Junction of Smarden Rd and Swan Lane

The new pipe was laid along Smarden Road between Swan Lane and Smarden Bell Road, with a road closure in place since November to keep both the community and South East Water’s workforce safe. Additionally, the company was delighted to be able to grant access to BT while the road was closed to enable them to undertake cabling work.

Jeremy continued: “We know road closures are disruptive so we’re really sorry for any inconvenience our work may have caused.

“We worked closely with the local community and other utility providers throughout to keep disruption to an absolute minimum throughout the duration of the project and are delighted to be able to reopen the road ahead of schedule.”

Nicky Marchbank, Deputy Chair for Pluckley Parish Council, added “We are delighted that the road is reopening five weeks ahead of schedule and that South East Water were able to also accommodate BT to prevent further disruption to residents. Working together with South East Water has enabled the Parish Council to address the village-specific road safety concerns and to remain up to date with the works.”

The project formed part of South East Water’s pledge to invest more than £433 million into improving its water network between 2020 and 2025.

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