South East Water is investing £400,000 into the water supply network to replace a water pipe in Benenden which has burst 14 times in the last five years.

Around 1.1 kilometres of unreliable pipeline in the area will be renewed by the drinking water only company. The company say a failing pipe is unacceptable due to the impact this has with residents facing low pressure or no water each time it bursts. The company has some 14,500km of water mains in its network.

Jeremy Dufour, Project Manager for South East Water, said:

“We know how frustrating bursts and leaks can be. Not only does it impact our customers’ supply but there’s also the resulting traffic disruption when the pipe needs to be repaired.

“By replacing this substantial section of water main within Golford Road, we can reduce the likelihood of bursts and continue to keep top quality drinking water flowing to our customers.”

The project is due to begin on Monday 9 October and is expected to take approximately 11 weeks to complete.

Phil Jones, Head of Leakage Operations for South East Water, added:

“With 9,000 miles of pipeline and over six million joints it’s inevitable that there will be unexpected failures with the pressures these have to face.

“However, when a water main such as the one in Golford Road becomes consistently unreliable, engineering projects such as this are vital.

“I’m delighted to see another project of this nature about to begin to improving our infrastructure, protect the long term supply of water to the area, and reduce unexpected disruption to the community.”