The construction phase of this project is now complete.
There may still be updates, so the project will remain here. We are still monitoring the project and will reply to any comments. So if you have any questions please feel free to comment or contact us here.
We are investing up to £9 million to improve Butterknowle, Cockfield and Ramshaw sewage treatment works. Starting in December 2018 and likely to continue to December 2019. These works will improve the quality of the water in the River Gaunless and will not involve any disruption to the wastewater service in the area. We would really like to hear any comments or questions you may have get in touch using the 'Contact us' button at the top of the page or leave a comment below. Dean Thompson NWL project manager
Typical working hours will be Monday to Friday, between 8.00am and 6.00pm. If required, work may also be carried out between 8.00am and 1.00pm on a Saturday. We will notify you in advance when weekend working may be required.
With large construction work we expect that there will be some disruption in the immediate area of the work. There will also be an increase in heavy traffic in the area, with vehicles transporting materials to and from the working sites.
The work will involve digging up and transporting large volumes of soil and other excavated materials to storage or for disposal which may cause dirt on the roads. The site team will employ a road cleaning specialist with mechanical road sweepers which will be used to maintain the roads affected.
We do not plan to disrupt your water supply while work is carried out on this project. In the unlikely event that the team accidently disrupts the water supply, our response team will be notified immediately and emergency repairs planned.
In certain areas, there may be a need to remove some trees and bushes to enable us to lay new pipes. Some pruning of existing trees may also be required to reduce the risk of damage during construction work. Any trees that we remove will be replaced on completion of our work.
We work closely with the local council on many matters including bin collections. Please put your bin in the normal place and we will make sure that it is moved to a place where it will be emptied. In the unlikely event that a bin collection is abandoned, we will let you know and we will arrange a revisit.
It is possible that some residents in the areas where we are working will not be able to park outside their property or access their drives at some stage during the work. We will contact you in advance where this is the case. Footpaths will remain open at all times.
We recognise that it is a condition of some insurance policies that cars are parked off road during different periods of the day. It is our experience that insurance companies understand that during work of this type, this is not always possible. We always suggest that you contact your individual insurance company if you have any concerns with regard to insurance matters.
Please let us know if you, or any family, friends or neighbours will require additional assistance for access or anything else while this work is completed by calling 0345 717 1100.
We will work closely with Durham County Council to minimise disruption and make sure an appropriate level of traffic management will be in place. Please refer to our Traffic information page, which we will update on a regular basis, for further details about any restrictions.
The construction work we carry out can involve using large machinery, digging up ground, pouring concrete and working with granular materials which will result in some dust, vibration and noise. The site team will do everything they can to minimise any inconvenience caused by this and will make sure that the work is carried out safely.
The new pipes will be buried underground. We will agree the level of road resurfacing with your Council and in line with national highway standards.
Any grassed surfaces will be returned to a similar condition that they were in immediately before the work began.
We will keep your Community Portal updated with key information about our progress.
For notifications about project news, traffic information and progress updates please sign up to the Community Portal here.
You can also contact us on 0345 717 1100 and arrange a call back from our project team. If you will be directly affected by our work our site team will get in touch in advance of the work starting. We will also keep you informed with project progress with regular newsletters.
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