Important update on planned work in your area

You may recall we contacted you in 2023 to provide some information on an investment we plan to make in your area to retire the service reservoir situated in Westerton village. This work will also add resilience to water supplies in the area and its worthing noting that we have no plans to interrupt your water supply.

This reservoir has served us well for over 100 years but is now reaching the end of its asset lifespan. To take the reservoir out of service, we have produced a solution which allows us to bypass the reservoir, but also build some additional resilience into the system which supplies the village, ensuring our network is fit for purpose for now and the future generations it will serve.

We have completed our investigations and plan to start work on site in February 2025 for approximately 12 months. However as with all construction projects unexpected delays can occur. 

This important work will improve the resilience of the water network in Westerton, Coundon and the surrounding areas of Kirk Merrington and Ferryhill.  Your source of drinking water will not change, but it will be pumped directly from the bottom of Westerton hill via a set of new booster pumps situated in the field just next to the exit from the A688.  There will be a new section of main running from the bottom of the hill up to the village, where we will make some connections into the existing system of pipe work.  These pumps will have the capacity to supply your area and support the surrounding areas in times of high water demand.

When the work begins there will be times when we need to have traffic management on the road through the village and our partners Esh-Stantec, will always let you know in advance when this is necessary.  The connection points on the existing mains have been chosen to avoid works within the carriageway as much as possible, as well as to minimise necessary works within the village.  Once the new pumps and new main are in service, we will then move to take the reservoir out of service. 

There is no current plan to demolish the structure, only to drain, disconnect and make it safe.  It will remain as Northumbrian Water’s responsibility to keep the site safe and tidy. 

There may be a requirement for us to complete some pre-construction property surveys to assure the work does not cause any vibration risk during the times we are working in the village making key connections. Any customers directly affected by planned survey work will be contacted in advance to discuss access etc.

Our partners Esh Stantec will have a visible team in the area week commencing 16 September 2024 and they will be able to provide additional information regarding the work and take the opportunity to understand any specific customer needs. 

Please be assured that we’re working closely with our partners to do all we can to minimise any disruption for you and your community throughout the work.  Typical working hours will be between 8.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.

If you need a little extra help during the work, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the team on 0345 717 1100.

If you would like to speak to a member of our Project Team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100; tweet us @nwater_care or contact us via our community portal. Whichever way is best, we’d really like to hear from you.

Hello Residents of Westerton,

You may notice some minor activity around the village and in the lower level fields leading up to the village, as well as within the village itself, over the next couple of weeks, so I just wanted to give an update on what this will entail. Our Framework contractors at Esh are conducting some ground investigations in the village to ascertain where the existing water pipes are located and some trial holes within the fields leading up to the village to understand the extent of abandoned quarries, which exist in the area historically. This should not cause any disruption to traffic, but you may hear an increase in noise and notice our contractor's out and about working. The Ground Investigation will last two to three weeks and will help to confirm the route for the new main in the next phase of work.

Many thanks for your understanding and have a great week end,

Victoria 

We are planning some work in the Westerton area to decommission the service reservoir situated in Westerton Heights.

Although we are still in the early stages of design for the project, we believe the outline dates for construction work will be from Autumn 2023 to Autumn 2024, but we will confirm the exact dates as we progress through the relevant design activities.

This important work will improve the resilience of the water network in the surrounding areas.  The existing reservoir was built in the 1920s and is reaching the end of it’s asset life.  Rather than refurbish the asset, we plan to decommission the reservoir, although we will not be demolishing any of the current structures on site.  We will therefore maintain responsibility for the site and for keeping the area safe and tidy.

In order to bypass the reservoir, we will be installing new pipes in the road through the village, and a small kiosk in the field as you approach the village from the A688.

When the work begins there will be times when we need to have traffic management on the road through the village and our partners Esh-Stantec, will always let you know in advance when this is necessary.  The connection points on the existing mains have been chosen to avoid works within the carriageway as much as possible, as well as to minimise and mitigate necessary works within the village.

Your water supply will not interrupted during this work.

If you would like to speak to a member of our Project Team, please contact us via the Portal or direct through a phone call or email.