DUNSTER residents are invited to a drop-in event on October 28 to find out more about major improvements in the village which have been planned jointly to minimise disruption as much as possible.

Work is scheduled to start in January for three months on upgrading water mains and highway improvements by Wessex Water and the County Council.

Two mains running under West Street from the junction with Park Street to the junction with St George’s Hill and Castle Hill will be replaced.

The existing mains are coming to the end of their serviceable life and have suffered a number of bursts in recent times, leading to several unplanned emergency road closures.

The old mains will be replaced with modern plastic pipes to safeguard the quality of the water supply and reduce the risk of future disruptions.

Individual service pipes will be reconnected to the new mains and any metal pipes within the public highway will be replaced at the same time.

The council is taking advantage of the road closure by: • Upgrading traffic signals. Due to the difficulty in accessing these, the equipment has not been updated since the 1970s and faults are common. The new signals will be more energy efficient and reliable, and have been designed to make any future repairs much simpler.

• Improvements to the footpaths on West Street. The scheme closely resembles previous improvements along the High Street which removed areas of existing cobbles and replaced with paving. The scheme was developed following safety concerns about the current uneven cobbles and is the result of a request from County Councillor Christine Lawrence in conjunction with the Dunster Working Group. They put forward a bid for joint funding from the County Council’s Small Improvement Schemes programme and the parish council.

• Highway works in anticipation of a new doctor’s surgery. Proposals which have been agreed include traffic calming measures, improved street lighting and a tarmac strip acting as a virtual footway. • Finally, once all the above work is completed, the road between Park Street and High Street will be resurfaced.

Cllr Harvey Siggs, said: “This is a major collaboration between organisations, requiring a huge amount of forward planning with so many elements to consider.

“We know this work will have a significant impact, but we hope people will understand the need for improvements and recognise that we have listened to the community and timed this as best we can.

“We’ve tried hard to think of every eventuality but please let us know of any concerns now so we can try to solve them before work begins.”

Wessex Water project manager Paul Hobbs added: “The improvement work will ensure that businesses and residents have a more reliable supply of water for many years to come.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We’ll be doing everything we can to complete our essential work as quickly as possible.”

The drop-in event will take place at Dunster’s Tithe Barn from 2pm to 8pm.

Officers from the County Council and staff from Wessex Water will be on hand to explain how the project will work and answer any questions.

There will also be information about access for residents, parking, diversions, public transport, school buses, waste collection and emergency contingency plans.