WORK to repair nearly two kilometres of the sewer system within Exmoor National Park takes place from the middle of this month.

The £240,000 project will see Wessex Water teams working mainly in fields near Timberscombe within Exmoor.

Specialist equipment will work deep underground to help complete the sewer repairs and reduce disruption.

More than 1,800 metres of pipes will be relined to prevent foul water escaping and polluting the environment and groundwater infiltration, which can overwhelm the system and lead to the automatic operation of storm overflows.

Most of the repairs will be carried out using ‘no-dig’ techniques, which are quicker and less intrusive than replacing the pipe in a conventional manner.

It continues Wessex Water’s investment in environmental protection in West Somerset after it separately announced more than £12million of improvements to two water recycling centres near the villages of Milverton and Bishops Lydeard to reduce chemicals and pollutants from the arriving sewer flows and the discharge of untreated wastewater into watercourses before January 2025.

Referring to the Exmoor scheme, Wessex Water project manager Daniel Kelly said: “Relining pipes in this way ensures the resilience of our sewer system can be maintained while preventing pollution from damaged pipes and we reduce disruption on local communities as much as possible by using the ‘no-dig’ methods.

“It continues our hefty ongoing investment in the sewer system, spending more than £2million this summer alone relining nearly 7,500 metres of sewers throughout our region.

“This scheme is taking place mainly within fields in a rural area, but we’re writing to customers nearby to ensure they are aware of the project and where there is an impact on local roads, an inconvenience for which we apologise.’’

Work starts on Monday, August 21, with a rolling road closure to through traffic of Drapers Way from the A396 junction at Timberscombe to Cutcombe Hill to outside Bench Cottage, until Friday, September 22.

Traffic will initially be diverted via Drapers Way, the B3224 and the A396 (Cutcombe Hill) from August 21 to September 1, then via the A396 between September 4 and 22.

Between Monday, September 25 and Friday, October 6, temporary traffic signals will be in operation on the Timberscombe Bypass, outside Ford Cottages.

From Monday to Friday, October 2 to 6, temporary traffic signals will be in operation on Dunster to Timberscombe Road between the junctions of Brook Street and Orchard Way.