Wales & West Utilities is set to start a £100,000 gas pipe investment scheme in the East Street area of Ashburton which will make sure that local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.
Starting on 20 February, the work will involve upgrading 700m of old metal pipes to new plastic ones on East Street, Woodland Road, Hares Lane and Stapledon Lane. The company anticipates this work will be complete by the summer.
Ahead of the work, Wales & West Utilities is holding a drop-in information day so local people can come and find out more about the work. The company will be on hand to answer any questions on Wednesday 25 January between 3:30pm and 6:30pm at the Town Hall, North Street, TQ13 7QQ.
Wales & West Utilities has worked closely with Devon County Council in planning the work to keep disruption to the local community and local road users to a minimum. Whilst the work is ongoing small sections of roads will need to be closed and these will be clearly signposted in advance.
The work will be split into phases and involves:
- Phase 1 will involve upgrading pipes on East Street between the Royal Oak Inn and the junction with Woodland Road. This will start on 20 February and should take approximately 3 weeks.
- Phase 2 will involve work on East Street and Woodland Road. This will start on 13 March and should take approximately 5 weeks.
- Phase 3 involves work along East Street and Hares Lane. This will start on 17 April and should take approximately 4 weeks.
- Phase 4 of the work involves upgrading pipes along Stapledon Lane. This will start on 15 May and should take approximately 3 weeks.
Diversion routes will be clearly signposted.
Wales & West Utilities Programme Controller for Devon, Jim Lee, is managing the work and said:
“We know that working on roads like these is not ideal, but it really is essential to keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future. We’ll be working hard to make sure that the work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible whilst also keeping disruption to a minimum.
“All local businesses will be open as usual while we’re working and we will accommodate trade deliveries where possible.
“Our team will be knocking on doors in the area to speak to local people and businesses and answer any questions they may have. We’re very aware of the effect that our work can have on communities and commuters and we’re working closely with Devon County Council to get this essential work done while causing the least inconvenience.”
Our Customer Service Team is ready to take your call if you have any questions about our work. You can contact them on freephone 0800 912 2999 or enquiries@wwwutilities.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or Facebook.com/WWUtilities.
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
This project forms part of our multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded to new plastic ones to o make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.