A £450,000 project to replace ageing water mains north of Weymouth this winter will push recent water supply investment for communities in south Dorset beyond the £1 million mark.
The three-month scheme near the village of Nottington will see nearly a mile of degrading pipe replaced as part of a drive to significantly improve water quality and reliability.
It follows Wessex Water’s £200,000 investment to upgrade mains within the B3157 road in nearby Portesham which was completed ahead of schedule late last year.
In addition, a five-month main replacement programme within the A353 road near Osmington to the east of Weymouth worth nearly £400,000 is poised to get underway in mid-November.
Preparatory work will near Nottington get begin on Monday 24 November and the scheme is expected to be completed by the end of February.
Nottington Lane will be closed to through traffic between Church Lane, Buckland Ripers and the northern entrance to Nottington village from 1 December, with a diversion via the B3157 (Chickerell Road, Chickerell Link Road, Granby Way), A354 (Weymouth Way) and B3159 (Dorchester Road) in place.
Design engineer Daniel Owen-Rijnenberg said: “By completing this replacement between Nottington and Buckland Ripers we’ll be able to reduce the disruption and inconvenience caused to customers by older mains bursting.
“The new plastic pipes will provide a more robust and modern infrastructure, ensuring a better quality and dependable water supply for years to come.”
The investment continues Wessex Water’s ongoing commitment to improving infrastructure and services to communities across its region, including continuing to reduce leakage by 20 per cent between 2020 and 2030. Between April 2024 and March 2025 alone, the company repaired over 15,600 leaks across its network.
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