Improvements in your area
We're currently carrying out the following long-term improvements.
New mains transfer pipeline in Guildford
We're investing £46m in Guildford with a new mains transfer pipeline that will help bring water from Pewley Downs Reservoir into the Netley Mill WTW. The project will help provide greater resilience and meet future water demands in the area.
Find out more about the mains transfer Guildford project.
New River Eade Road refurbishment
Due to the New River’s vital role in supplying part of London with water, we must ensure we take great care of it.
Over the years, we’ve been carrying out many small-scale repairs of leaks and we have put in place different solutions in an attempt to manage the leakage in ways that minimise disruption locally. However, our annual inspections have identified further areas of leakage and we have decided that a large-scale repair is now necessary.
We are looking to refurbish a section of the New River channel at Eade Road, between Green Lanes and Seven Sisters Road, to prevent leakage and extend the asset life. This will ensure unhindered water flow in the channel for the London Water supply and that the amenity remains safely open for the benefit of the local residents and the public.
The planned work will ensure the structural integrity of the New River and mitigate future flood risk. This proposal is currently in the early planning stages, and we’ll of course continue to keep you updated.
Find out more about the Eade Road refurbishment.
Water mains extension in Westerham Hill
We're extending a water mains pipe to supply water to new residential properties in Westerham Hill. This will help to future proof the water supply.
The work will be taking place between Saturday 16 – Saturday 30 December 2023, excluding Christmas day.
Find out more about the Westerham Hill water mains extension.
Installing a new trunk main in Chessington
We're installing a new trunk main in Chessington due to expansion in the catchment area, causing increased pressure on the main.
Galliford Try will be working on behalf on Thames Water to excavate a trench to put a 630mm High Density Polyethylene pipe into the ground along 1km route.
Work prior to starting
We've issued Section 159’s to landowners where the new pipe is installed in their land under the pipe laying powers of the Water Act.
The locally affected residents including landowners, tenants, businesses, allotment users, golf clubs, schools and councils were all consulted on the work.
Numerous environmental surveys have been undertaken during the design phase to inform the alignment of the pipe. Ecological mitigation work has been undertaken by trimming and thinning the hedges before the nesting season to discourage birds from nesting in our working areas.
Some of the small hawthorn trees where the walking path meets the bridleway will unfortunately have to be removed to enable our works. Under Thames Waters commitment to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) we will always replace more than we have had to remove.
We've also undertaken extensive surveys and even fingertip searches to ensure our works do not adversely affect the habitats of numerous species in the area.
Where we’ll be working
The project will be split into two parts. The first part will take place on Telegraph Lane followed by Leatherhead Road.
Telegraph Lane work location
So far at Telegraph Lane, we've installed our cabins, diverted the footpath, and recently started part of the drilling process to install the pipe.
Leatherhead Road work location
At Leatherhead Road, we've installed our cabins and carried out trial holes. We look to progress more in the new year.
When we’ll be working
Work has started at both locations and is expected to take 2 years.
We'll be working 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays should we need to work on a weekend.
How this may affect you
We won't need access to any residents properties and your water supply won't be affected.
Telegraph Lane
The footpath will be diverted, and there will be signage warning the public of construction traffic.
Some cars may need to be relocated if parked on the street due to large deliveries and concrete slab work. We've also placed a 5mph signs on the road.
Regular letters and information will be provided to affected landowners and residents.
Leatherhead Road
Work may cause increased vehicle movements along Leatherhead Road towards the beginning and end of our work. We'll have a full traffic management plan in place, and this will be shared with interested parties, when work is likely to impact the flow of traffic.
If we expect to make excessive vibrations, we will provide pre-condition surveys beforehand.
Benefits to the local community
By installing a new trunk main, it'll help to reduce the risk of flooding from bursts.
Stay up to date
The team will regularly engage with residents and the public with drop-in sessions, letters and updating this webpage.
Increasing capacity of Chesham treatment works
We’re investing more than £20 million in upgrading Chesham sewage treatment works. We’re installing new assets to help us treat more wastewater and improve the health of the local precious chalk stream, the River Chess.
When we'll be working
We finished the first phase of the project in March 2023.
The second phase focuses on the treatment process and is due to be completed at the end of 2024.
How this may affect you
Our working hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, so you may notice some construction noise during this time.
As we’re working at the sewage treatment works, there may be a bit more traffic entering and leaving the site.
We’ll do our best to make sure our work doesn’t disrupt you.
Benefits to the local community
The project will increase the amount of sewage that we can treat in line with our new permit obligations agreed with the Environment Agency.
This will also help us prevent untreated wastewater spilling into the River Chess during heavy storms.
Stay up to date
We're also investigating the impact of groundwater on the sewer network in the area. This will help inform our long-term planning.
Learn more about our Groundwater impacted system management plan for Chesham.
Get in touch
If you have any questions and you’d like to speak with someone from our team about this project, please call us on 0800 316 9800, select option 1 and quote reference BB00163811.
Chobham Sewage Treatment Works upgrades
We’re investing over £12 million in upgrading Chobham sewage treatment works. We're working with contractor Galliford Try to install new screening and treatment equipment at the plant.
When we'll be working
We’re expecting to finish our works in summer 2024.
How this may affect you
We’re working at our sewage treatment works and we’ll do all we can to reduce disruption while we work.
We have a large excavator on site, and we’ll need to ‘track’ this along Broadford Lane when we’ve finished using it. This may slow traffic on the road for up to 30 minutes.
Benefits to the local community
We know the area is prone to flooding and we’re sorry if this has affected you in the past.
Our new assets will help us:
- Screen and treat more wastewater as it arrives
- Reduce the amount of untreated water our storm tanks release into the river during bad weather
- Stop sewage odour building up by easing the pressure on our storm tanks
Get in touch
If you have any questions and you’d like to speak with someone from our team, please call us on 0800 316 9800 and quote reference number BB00236352.
New water main in Greenwich
We’re laying a new water main to transport water across East London, running from Deptford to the Greenwich Peninsula. Around 4km in length, the main will serve both existing and new customers in the area.
When we'll be working
The first part of the water main was laid across Greenwich Park, from Croom's Hill to Park Row access gate and completed in February 2022. We've installed new pipe along Park Row, across Trafalgar Road section and along Old Woolwich Road.
We're currently working on Christchurch Road and Millennium Way.
We expect our works on the main to be completed in summer 2024.
Where we'll be working
The main path will take it across Greenwich Park, and then along:
- Park Row
- Trafalgar Road
- Old Woolwich Road
- Lassell Street
- Banning Street
- Pelton Road
- Christchurch Way
- Telcon Road
- Tunnel Avenue
- Millennium Way
- Blackwall Lane
Finally, it'll connect to our existing network by the O2 at Tunnel Avenue and Millennium Way.
How this may affect you
We’ll do everything we can to minimise any disruptions to you while we work on the main. Temporary road closures may become necessary to ensure we can operate safely.
We’ll keep you informed as work progresses. Please continue to check regularly this page for further updates.
Get in touch
If you have questions about our works and you'd like to speak with someone, please call us on 0800 316 9800 and quote reference number BB70030835.
Upgrading Guildford water mains
We’re investing more than £55 million to ensure a reliable water supply for a growing population in Guildford.
Find out more about the Guilford water mains upgrade.
Swindon-Haydon End sewer upgrade - Taw Hill to Westmead
We're replacing the full-length of the Haydon End rising main which will follow a new route. This will prevent future bursts and make sure it’s fit to flow for years to come.
Haydon End sewage pumping station and rising main were built in 1995-96 to transfer sewage to the inlet works at the eastern end of Swindon sewage treatment works. Its catchment area has seen significant growth in the years since.
In the last 2 years, the main has suffered many bursts and the frequency seems to be increasing. Due to the scattered nature of the bursts, a recent study advised a full-length replacement of the main.
When we'll be working
We'll start our work on 3 July 2023, and plan to complete it by 8 July 2024.
Where we'll be working
We'll carry out our work in two sections.
The first section will be from the Haydon End sewage pumping station to the north of the railway track. It'll be tunnelled to minimise impact to the local environment.
The second section will be an open-cut installation following the route of the old railway line that is now a footpath and cycle way (route 45). This section crosses the river Ray near Barnfield Road, where it will be drilled underneath the watercourse and existing properties to Barnfield Road for the final open cut to tie in point at the sewage treatment works.
How this may affect you
We’ll do everything we can to minimise any disruptions to you while we work on the main by:
- Agree the best way to manage traffic with local highway authority when necessary
- Letting you know in advance if we’ll be working near your home or property
Please be aware that we'll need to close cycle way route 45 this summer for about 12 months. Diversions will be put in place.
We’ll keep you informed as work progresses. Please continue to check this page for further updates.
Diversion cycle route towards town
You can follow the path left into Chicory Close and then the road to the top, where you join Akers Way. Use the Akers Way cycle path to head east all the way to Cheney Manor Road. There you can turn right and follow this quiet street through to the main road.
If you do not wish to cycle on the main road, push your bike on the pavement – this is only a short stretch. Turn right onto the main road and at The Manor pub, take the next left (Bessemer Road). Follow this right onto Surrey Road all the way to Ferndale Road. Cross Ferndale Road and head down the alley onto the green space.
The path on the right will link you onto the Western Flyer, which you can follow back to Westmead.
For those on foot, and more confident cyclists, it'll be shorter to cut through the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate from Akers Way.
Alternative route to West Swindon
For routes into West Swindon, cross Thamesdown Drive and use the old Purton Road to get to Peatmoor. There are a variety of routes around West Swindon, depending on your destination.
You can download the Swindon cycle map, pick up free paper copies at the library or email your postal address to get a copy.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about our work, please call us on 0800 316 9800 and quote reference number BB 00368945.
Millennium main improvements
Since January 2021, we’ve been busy carrying out structural surveys and strengthening the original glass-reinforced plastic main. From June 2023, we plan to reline the main and ensure it's compliant with water quality regulations, so it can carry water to your taps.
We expect our work to be completed by April 2025.
Why not just replace the pipe
Replacing pipes can lead to longer road closures and noisy construction work. Relining is just as effective and helps us reduce the impact on you as much as possible.
Where we'll be working
- Admiral Street: we'll start our preparation works from Monday 22 May for 2 weeks and return for main works on Monday 18 December until February 2024
- Albyn Road dog park: Monday 18 September until July 2024
- Brookmill Road footpath: continue until January 2025
- Friendly Gardens: continue until January 2025
- Kitto Road: Wednesday 24 May until January 2025
- Linden Grove: we'll start our preparation works on Monday 12 June, which will continue 2 weeks. We'll return for main works on Friday 8 December until May 2024
- Vesta Road: continue until January 2024
- Vulcan Road: July 2024
- Wickham Road: October 2024
How this may affect you
We’ll do everything we can to minimise any disruption to you while we repair the main. You may have already noticed closed road lanes and footpaths around the area.
Find out more about what to expect during the next phase of our work in our information pack.
Get in touch
If you have questions about our work and wish to speak with someone from our team, please call us on 0800 316 9800, selecting option 1, or email us.
Need some extra support
Learn more about our free service that provides extra support to those who need it most by visiting our Priority Services Register page or call us on 0800 009 3652.
Northern Outfall Sewer upgrade
We’re investing over £70 million over the next three years to upgrade Stratford’s Victorian sewer system to ensure its pipes are resilient for today and the future.
Find out more about the Northern Outfall Sewer upgrade and see how we’re using innovative hi-tech lining.
Seven Sisters Road to Myddleton Avenue
Since October 2020, we’ve been working on repairing 1300 metres of our water mains between Seven Sisters Road and Myddleton Avenue and Green Lanes in Hackney, London.
We’re using a technique called relining. It involves pulling new pipework through the current pipe to reline it.
Why not replace the pipes
We’ve been using these pipes for over 150 years, and they’ve served us well. But we need to carry out this essential work so we can safely transport water to your taps in the future.
Pipe replacement can be very disruptive, causing road closures and noisy construction work. We use relining as an innovative alternative to minimise the impact of our work on you.
Where we're working
We aim to complete our work over three phases.
Phase one and two
We started work on one of the 36-inch water mains in October 2020. We successfully finished the relining of it in Spring 2023.
Phase three
We’re currently working on repairing a further 700m of the water main. We plan to complete our work in July 2024.
We’ll be working at the following locations:
- Myddelton Avenue East and Green Lanes: Tuesday 18 July 2023 until spring 2024
- Finsbury Park Road: Tuesday 18 July 2023 until July 2024
- Myddleton Avenue West and St Johns Court end: Thursday 3 August 2023 until July 2024
- Somerfield Road: Monday 24 July until August 2023
- Wilberforce Road: Tuesday 15 August until September 2023
- Queens Drive: Monday 31 July until August 2023
We will continue to have sites in place at 1-11 Finsbury Park Road, St Johns Court and Myddleton Avenue.
How this may affect you
- The parking bays outside 1-11 Finsbury Park Road will be unavailable until July 2024
- We’ll be using the park area at St Johns Court until July 2024
- The parking bays at works locations on Myddleton Avenue will be unavailable until July 2024. These works will affect some localised driveways. We’ll inform residents well in advance.
- The private park on Myddleton Avenue won't be available from winter 2023 until spring 2024
Pedestrians and emergency vehicles will have full access to all roads at all times. Bin collections will continue as normal.
Our onsite teams will update those immediately around our sites if any changes are needed.
This work won’t cause a disruption to your water supply.
What if this affects your business
We’ll do all we can to reduce disruption while we work. But we understand your business may sometimes be affected. Learn more about our business loss of profits policy.
Get in touch
If you have questions about our work and you'd like to speak with someone, please call us on 0800 316 9800, selecting option one and quoting the reference number BB115405, or email us.
You can also check this page for most up-to-date information.
Upgrading Slough treatment works
We're currently working hard toward upgrading Slough sewage treatment works (STW). This will allow us to treat more wastewater, improve the quality of water that’s returned to the environment, and reduce flood and pollution risks along watercourses.
Our works will involve:
- Upgrading the existing plant
- Building new treatment tanks
- Putting in new treatment technology
- Building a new below ground outfall pipeline to take some of the treated water and storm flows to the River Thames
When we'll be working
We're developing our designs for the STW upgrade and new pipeline. As this is a technically complex solution, our teams are seeking to address a number of challenges, including refining and agreeing the route of the pipeline with landowners.
Once we've finished our designs, we'll inform you when we can start and finish our works.
Environmental impact assessment
In January 2022, we received confirmation from Slough Borough Council and Buckinghamshire Council in response of our environmental impact assessment screening opinion request that a full assessment for our works is not required.
We’re currently evaluating all planning requirements for the scheme, and will provide further details in due course.
Additional works along the Roundmoor Ditch
As part of our works, we've started a trial study on the receiving watercourses in the Roundmoor Ditch to better understand how flows can be managed. This will help us address issues with weed growth and water levels in the local watercourses.
The study will continue until June 2023. Over this time we'll work with local communities and stakeholders to implement the findings from the study.
Volunteering opportunities
In September 2022, we supported the Eton Wick Waterways Group (EWWG) removing weeds from part of the Roundmoor watercourse. Working with local residents, our team of volunteers waded through the water removing large clumps of weed, helping to reduce water levels in the Roundmoor.
We'll look at doing more volunteering days during our trial study.
Stay up to date
Once we've finished our designs, we'll hold drop-in sessions for local residents and businesses.
If you have questions about our works, please contact us on 0800 316 9800 and quote reference number BB975460.
Reducing pipe bursts in Swindon and the Cotswolds
We’re currently in phase two of replacing 13.7km of our trunk main. This will help us reduce pipe bursts and protect some of the area’s most vulnerable chalk streams.
When we'll be working
We’re aiming to complete this project in January 2024.
How this may affect you
We’re working between Blunsdon Reservoir and Faringdon Water Booster Station, passing just north of Highworth.
We’re doing our best to keep disruption to a minimum by:
- Digging only around the route of the existing main, with most construction works taking place on private land
- Carefully managing any affected road crossings with local highways
- Letting you know in advance if we’ll be working near your home or property
Get in touch
If you have any questions about our work, please call us on 0800 316 9800 and quote reference number BB70023377.
Thames Tideway Tunnel
The Thames Tideway Tunnel project, costing an estimated £4.3 billion, is building a 25km Super Sewer under the Thames to intercept nasty spills and clean up our river for the good of London, its wildlife and you.
It should be finished in 2025 and will reduce sewage river pollution by at least 95%.
Find out more about this pioneering project.
Increasing capacity of Witney treatment works
We’re investing more than £17 million to upgrade Witney sewage treatment works. We’re installing three new settlement tanks alongside a new pumping station and new pipes to help us handle the 66% increase in wastewater flowing through the sewage treatment works.
When we'll be working
We're currently running ahead of schedule and we expect our work to be completed in early 2024.
How this may affect you
As we’re working on site at the existing plant, we’ll do our best to minimise any disruption to you.
Our current working hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, so you may notice some construction noise during this time.
Benefits to the local community
We’ll go from being able to treat 240 litres of your wastewater every second to 399 litres - enough capacity for nearly 10% more of the population in the local area.
This will also help us to prevent untreated wastewater spilling into Colwell Brook during heavy storms.
Stay up to date
We're also investigating the impact of groundwater on the sewer network in the area. This will help inform our long-term planning.
Learn more about our Groundwater impacted system management plan for Witney.
Find details of short-term improvements in your area.