Shrewsbury water works fast-tracked after serious flooding from bursts
Severn Trent Water has fast tracked a scheme to replace an important section of water pipes which feed a large area of Shrewsbury, after bursts have caused businesses in the area pain.
The water pipes in Roman Road have a history of leaks and bursts, including two incidents in December last year.
STW now say they have come to the decision that 'enough is enough' and have brought forward a £1 million scheme to not only replace the pipes that keeping bursting, but also to reinforce the surrounding pipe network, making water supplies to the area much more reliable.
Clive Pratt, the owner of E A Downes & Sons Ltd, said he was going to be consulting with his solicitors after his garage at the bottom of Roman Road was flooded in December for the third time.
The garage in Meole Brace was left swamped on Sunday after water had been pouring into his garage causing why Mr Pratt says is hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Gareth Mead, from STW, said: "We know that our customers in the Roman Road area of Shrewsbury have been incredibly inconvenienced by the recent leaks and bursts on our water pipes. We want to protect the local community from any more disruption, so we've brought forward our plans to renew these ageing pipes.
"Work will begin with some investigation in the area, starting later this month, so you may see our teams out and about. We're working closely with Shropshire Council highways department to make sure our work doesn't clash with any other work already programmed for the west side of Shrewsbury this year.
"We're hoping to start work to replace the old pipes in early May, with work due to be complete in the summer."
Gareth adds: "We understand that residents in the area may experience some disruption while the work is being carried out, and we can only apologise for this. However, this is important work - we need to do it now, in a planned and coordinated manner. If not, we may need to do more emergency work in the future if the water pipes burst again. In the long term, the benefits for Shrewsbury far outweigh any inconvenience this work may cause."
