Thames Water’s County Road repairs to continue for next fortnight
A busy Swindon road is likely to remain closed for the next two weeks as Thames Water continues to carry out repairs following a burst water main.
Published: Friday, 23rd June 2023
County Road was closed last Sunday (18 June) after the road was flooded, causing extensive damage to the road surface, kerbs and pavements.
Thames Water was able to stop the leak and restore water to neighbouring homes and businesses, but the road has been shut to through traffic between Transfer Bridges and the Magic Roundabout this week, while engineers fix cracks in the 85-year old pipe which is located three metres under the road surface.
The water company expects to complete the repairs next week before turning its attention to the road itself. A section of road around 120 metres in length will be repaired and resurfaced, along with damaged kerbs and pavements. The work will be paid for by Thames Water.
Thames Water has given a provisional date of Monday, 10 July, for the work to be completed and the road reopened, but will be aiming to finish the work earlier if possible.
During the closure, Swindon Borough Council will bring forward patching work to repair deteriorating sections of County Road. This work, which was scheduled to take place later this summer, will minimise disruption to local residents and motorists, avoiding a further road closure.
The Council is also looking to carry out gully clearing and refresh road markings next week while the Thames Water work is ongoing.
Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “The burst water main last weekend caused huge disruption to residents and businesses, but I must thank Thames Water for stemming the leak and restoring water to the local community so quickly.
“We all want County Road reopened as quickly as possible, but Thames Water has had to repair an extremely old pipe three metres underground, while also making sure it is not failing in other places, as the last thing we want is for this to happen again.
“In the meantime, we will use the current closure period to carry out planned repair and maintenance work so we do not have to come back again in a couple of months’ time, further disrupting those that live and work in the area and those that use the road.”
Members of the public who would like regular updates on the County Road work can visit the Thames Water website for more information: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/network-latest/sn1-190623