Long stretch of damaged sewer pipes to be replaced in Milton Keynes to prevent leaks and pollution

Anglian Water is to spend £1.4m to replace old and damaged sewer pipes in Bletchley.

The company is next week beginning a four month project to replace more than a kilometre of the sewage network to avoid future bursts, leaks and pollution in the town.

But they assure residents there will be no no interruption to their water supply during the work and they can continue to use their taps and flush their toilets without a second thought.

The upgrade will cost £1.4m and is expected to be complete by October 2023 - although this may change due to the nature of construction work.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said: “When a sewer pipe gets old there is an increased risk of bursts and leaks causing potential pollution and interruption to customers’ sewerage services.

"Sewers need maintenance to keep them flowing and ensure pollution doesn’t find its way into the environment. Anglian Water uses remote CCTV cameras to regularly monitor the state of its sewer pipes, and this information helps the company build an investment programme targeted to the areas most in need.”

He added: “Damaged pipes put the sewer network under a lot of pressure, which can result in burst sewer pipes. If repairs are not made in good time, this can cause a loss of drainage and toilet facilities for customers, as well as risking flooding and pollution in the natural environment.

"The work to upgrade the sewer network in Bletchley will prevent any disruption in sewerage services for local customers, as well as protecting local rivers and wildlife by minimising the risk of pollution.”

This scheme will see the water company replace sewer pipes in Bletchley on Shelbourne Avenue, Newton Road, Shelley Drive, Keats Way, Wordsworth Drive, Buckingham Road and Cottingham Grove.

The spokesman said: “There will be no interruption to customers’ facilities during the work, and access will be maintained for all residents. As this is a major construction project, Anglian Water will need to put some traffic management in place in order to keep its engineers and other road users safe.”

Selbourne Avenue will have a lane closure between 26 June and 16 July, Shelley Drive will close from July 24 to August 1, Keats Way will close between July 10 and July 19, while Wordsworth Drive will have a lane closed from July 20 to August 3.

The busy Buckingham Road at Cottingham Grove will be closed between August 14 and August 23 and traffic lights will be installed there from August 4 to August 23.

Other traffic lights will be installed for periods in Newton Road, Shelley Drive and Milton Grove.

The Anglian Water spokesman said: “While we aim to reduce disruption to pedestrians and traffic as much as we can, our top priority will always be the safety of our staff and the public. This means we will have traffic management in place. “

Due to the nature of our work, dates for the traffic schemes are likely to change and people can check the live website here.