A VILLAGE in West Somerset will be affected by eight months of traffic restrictions and road closures in the new year to allow works to water mains in the area.

Degrading water mains throughout the village of Timberscombe are being replaced in a major project to enhance the system, which will get underway in January 2024.

Water supplies in Exmoor National Park are set for a significant boost courtesy of a £850,000 investment next year.

Wessex Water recently held a public information session in Timberscombe to brief villagers and the parish council about the project, which will continue until September.

The eight-month West Somerset project will be completed in phases to keep disruption for villagers to a minimum as much as possible and follow a series of bursts on the main in recent years.

It follows a £600,000 investment further east in the county earlier this year, which saw just under a mile of water main near the village of Stogursey, west of Bridgwater, replaced in the opening phase of a major overhaul south of Hinkley Point Power Station.

Further updates are being sent throughout the village prior to the start of the work in the new year as well as during the course of the scheme.

Work will take place on the A396, Vicarage Court, Bemberry Bank, The Glebe, Forge Cottages, Jubilee Terrace, Church Street, Brook Street, Great House Street, Willow View, and from Willow Bank to Timberscombe Quarry and Orchard Way in the village at various times.

Project manager Egidijus Mockevicius said: “This is an essential project to replace existing mains that have suffered from a significant number of bursts in the last few years.

“This has caused inconvenience and disruption to customers in the area and by installing new plastic pipes will ensure improved water quality and a more reliable source for years to come.

“We recognise that this work will cause disruption in the village and, as well as working closely with local authorities to minimise those impacts, we have also met villagers at our well-attended drop-in session to answer their questions and will be keeping them informed throughout.’’

Further supply work is being planned on the A386 Dunster to Timberscombe road to the north of the village from January 2025, with the details of that work being finalised later next year.

Wessex Water is continuing to invest in the supply network by renewing ageing water mains as well as maintaining and improving facilities that help store and move water around the region to supply its customers, with around £12 million spent each year on a regional network spanning more than 12,000 kilometres.

Last month, Wessex Water proposed its largest-ever investment in water and sewerage services – more than doubling its current five-year investment period spending to around £3.5 billion of new investment – as part of its 2025-2030 Business Plan. 

The plan, now subject to regulatory approval, includes ambitious proposals in relation to the supply of water to ensure the system can cope with the growing demands from population growth and challenges of climate change.