Southern Water is progressing work on its £100 million-plus Southampton Link Main project – a manually operated six-tonne tunnel boring machine called “Ancasta” is currently digging underground tunnels in Hampshire as part of the 19km drinking water pipeline project.
The tunnel boring machine is 2.7 metres long and has created a 1.5-metre-wide tunnel - the pipe depth starts at 14 metres. The tunnel work started in September 2025 and will continue through to May 2026.
The whole Southampton Link Main project will take more than three years to complete and cost more than £100 million. Most of the pipeline will be laid by digging trenches, installing the pipeline and then backfilling them with earth.
However, in some areas, it will be installed by digging tunnels deeper underground to avoid disruption to major roads, railway lines or precious ecological sites.
Ben Ring, Director, Major Projects at Southern Water, said:
“The Southampton Link Main project has been underway since the middle of 2025 and there are many exciting aspects to major projects such as these.
“This is part of a wider set of projects designed to improve the resilience of our water network for our customers in Hampshire. The project will also provide future resilience for the Test and Itchen rivers and their wildlife.”
The new underground pipeline will run from Otterbourne to Yew Hill reservoir, near Winchester, and then south to the utility’s Rownhams water supply works on the outskirts of Southampton.
Southern Water are working in partnership with MGjv, a joint venture between Galliford Try and M Group Water, and supply chain partner HB Tunnelling.
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