A SET of road closures will be in place near Taunton this spring while a £500,000 Wessex Water upgrade will get underway.

A four-month project to replace ageing pipes will start east of the county town early next month as Wessex Water’s ongoing improvement of the network in the area continues.

Just under a mile of pipes are being replaced near the village of North Curry, building on a two-kilometre enhancement of the supply system that took place in nearby Stoke St Gregory last winter.

Road closures

The work will get underway with the closure of Stoke Road/Meare Green to through traffic between Curload Road and Coates English Willow Visitor Centre between March 14 and May 3, with access to the visitor centre being possible via North Curry or Willey Road/Huntham Lane.

Stoke Road will then be closed to through traffic between the visitor centre and Huntham Lane from 6-31 May, with access to the visitor centre possible via the A361/Huntham Lane and Willey Road.

From June 3, Stoke Road will be closed to through traffic between Huntham Lane and Broad Lane, with signs in place to direct to businesses such as Holly Farm Swimming Pool, Somerset Chocolate Company and Coates English Willow Visitor Centre.

This work will conclude by July 21.

Throughout the phases of work, a diversion for through traffic using Stoke Road, Moor Lane, New Road, A361, Stathe Road, Slough Lane, Stanmoor Road ,Curload Road, Willey Road, Huntham Lane, Huntham Road and Broad Lanes will be in place.

Project manager Nathan Storey said: “By replacing these pipes with new plastic ones we can ensure improved water quality and a more reliable supply for future years and we're investing millions in upgrading water mains throughout our region.

“We’re working closely with local communities to reduce the impact of this work as much as possible and have also written to customers and businesses to inform them about this project.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused.’’

Wessex Water supplies more than 282 million litres of water every day to 1.4 million customers and 44,000 businesses throughout the region, with more than £8 million a year currently being spent on replacing ageing water mains.

The company is proposing its largest-ever investment in water and sewerage services, including providing security of water supply, and ensuring the water system can cope with the growing demands from population growth and climate change.

Around £3.5 billion of new investment is proposed between 2025 and 2030 – more than double the current five-yearly spend of around £1.5 billion – subject to regulators approving Wessex Water’s Business Plan.