Water pipes to be upgraded as part of £225,000 project

Residents and business owners are invited to speak to the team behind the project at a drop-in session at Warden Park Primary Academy in New England Road on Tuesday (December 5).

The public drop-in session will give people the chance to find out more about the scheme and to ask any questions they may have directly to engineers.

Residents will also be able to speak to the company’s Customer Care Team.

Over the past five years the water company has invested more than £2 million improving and upgrading the water mains network in the Haywards Heath and Lindfield area.

A South East Water spokesman said: “This next project in Oathall Road between the Scrace Bridge Roundabout to just past the junction with Oathall Avenue, will help prevent future bursts and ensure the water supply to the area for future generations.

“Work is due to start on Monday January 8, and is expected to take around four months to complete.

“To ensure the safety of the public, motorists and the company’s workforce a temporary road closure will be in place along Oathall Road.

“Access to homes and businesses will be maintained and a diversion route, as agreed with West Sussex County Council Highways, will be clearly signed.”

Jeremy Dufour, project manager at South East Water, added: “Currently the two 320 metre long pipes supply tap water to 3,000 customers in the town, however they are coming to the end of their useful lives.”

Mid Sussex councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards welcomed the news.

“The number of occasions these pipes have burst, resulting in a loss of water or low pressure is clearly unsustainable due to the disruption for local people and the environmental impact of wasted water,” he said.

“It is welcome that South East Water are making improvements to resolve this as part of their investment programme in the Haywards Heath area. Hopefully disruption can be kept to a minimum during the works.”

The scheme forms part of the company’s £424 million investment programme between 2015 and 2020.

Updates on the scheme can be found at corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/oathallroad.