Latest on Serious Water Mains Leak



Bricks being delivered for contractors to repair resident's collapsed wall

On 22^nd January a water mains burst near the start of Westdene Crescent which is off Woodcote Way.  I happened to walk by at about 11 pm and witnessed the huge lake of flooding spreading across both footpaths and the road.

I spoke with the gas contractors who were waiting for a Thames Water man to shut down the mains.  They told me the water had made the carriageway collapse above the mains so once it was shut off they would get to work to repair the damage.

As I’ve posted before, the gas road works in the area are in themselves disruptive.  The Thames Water issue has made things much worse.

Residents contacted me last night complaining the refuse vehicles hadn’t been able to drive along Westdene Crescent so their bins hadn’t been emptied.  They also wanted to know how long repairs were going to take so here is my update.

After my email to RBC last night and phone calls this morning I’m happy to report bins were emptied today.

Thames Water’s contractors are excavating to a greater depth than normal to ensure they can incorporate any potential damage that may have been caused to deeper layers of the carriageway structure into their reinstatement works.  As long as they don’t find any significant damage, they anticipate completion and clearance of their works on the carriageway by the middle of next week.

Taken this morning before talking to residents



The above works will be conducted on one half of the carriageway at a time.  It has been observed on site that their current works area leaves a narrow running lane which should be increased when they switch sides.  However this avoids a closure of the street.

I’ve been informed that refuse vehicles have been turned away by Southern Gas Networks contractors.  The contractors have apparently stated that the carriageway plates, used to span their trench across the entrance to Westdene Crescent, could not support the weight of a standard refuse collection vehicle.

RBC has contacted the contractors in question, concerned that such plates were being used and that the Council had not been notified of any potential weight limits.  RBC has been assured that reinstatement material has been ordered for tomorrow (Friday) morning and that this section of their carriageway excavation will be fully reinstated by mid-morning.

 

Do get in touch with me if I can help further.