When tankers are in the area they are difficult to miss; whether you are meeting them on the roads or seeing them parked up at Mullens Pond, the bottom of Wiremead Lane or Cattle Lane in Monxton. In the winter they are here as a preventative measure; to take away excess water from the sewage network & protect our environment from pollution spills. However this spring they have been here in support of SW’s reparation programme of lining the public sewer network. This is to stop groundwater from getting into the sewer network & creating an excess of water in the sewage pipes. In order to line the sewers, they need to be “dry” so our sewage is diverted to the tankers and taken away to achieve this.

You may be surprised to hear that private sewage pipes, which run from our houses to the public network, make up about 42% of the whole local sewer network. So to fully tackle our groundwater problem SW need to check and repair private sewer pipes that are letting in groundwater too.

The lining of the public network will take some time and SW is currently planning its next phase of work. This will now include a programme of surveying and then repairing “leaky” private sewer pipes.

SW is going to start its private sewer programme by asking permission to survey private pipes in Kimpton, Thruxton, Fyfield and East Cholderton. This programme will take about 4 months to complete. They have chosen these villages because they are the furthest north, or at the start of the sewer network, and so have the greatest cumulative effect on water volumes as it flows further south. If you are in this phase of private sewer works you should have received a letter to tell you this. A copy of which can be seen here – Southern Water Letter

If you are at all curious about SW’s public and private sewer repair programme then do visit SW’s stall at the Amport fete on Saturday 9 July.

Janet Wright
Secretary to the Pan Parish Forum

The Pan Parish Forum is made up of representatives from Kimpton, Thruxton, Fyfield, Amport, Monxton, Quarley, Abbotts Ann and Upper Clatford Parish Councils. Together the Forum is working with SW to represent residents’ best interests.