After 12 bursts in the last five years, we are replacing over one kilometre of old pipe in the Cedar Road area in order to strengthen the network, make the water supply in the area more reliable, and reduce the amount of water lost to burst pipes in Kent
Key facts:
Location: Cedar Road, Hoades Wood Road, Oakwood Road
Work: Replacing approx one kilometre of water main
Starts: Monday 5 January
Duration: Approx. six months
Investment: Approx. £900,000
When will work start, and how long will it take?
We started work in Cedar Road on Monday 5 January and expect the work to take approximately six months. We’ll do our best to get the work done faster if we can. Please see below for the expected programme of road closures.
Will there be roadworks?
For the safety of our team and the public, we will need to implement a rolling road closure. We know road closures can be disruptive and they are a last resort, however safety is at the forefront of our minds. An evolving diversion route, agreed with Kent Highways, will be signposted for the duration and published on this webpage.
We started work in Cedar Road on Monday 5 January and expect the work to take approximately six months. We’ll do our best to get the work done faster if we can.
Road closures:
The first phase of this project has seen a rolling road closure take place along Cedar Road starting on the southern end and moving up towards Hoads Wood Road and Oakwood Road
The road closures for this project going forward are:
- Cedar Road - Now until Friday 27 March
- Hoads Wood Road - 23rd March until Friday 24 April
- Oakwood Road - 13th April until Friday 30 June
Footpath closures:
We will also be closing the footpaths of some roads on the following dates:
- Twyne Close - Now until Friday 30 March.
- Well Close - Monday 23 March to Friday 17 April
- Whatmer Close - Monday 13 April until Friday 8 May.
Traffic lights:
In June and July, we will be installing some temporary traffic lights on the roads around Cedar Road to enable us to complete our project:
- Laburnum Lane - We will install two-way traffic lights on Tuesday 16 June for around one week. We expect to remove these on Monday 23 June.
- Hoades Wood Road and Babs Oak Hill - We will install three-way traffic lights on the junction of on Wednesday 08 July and expect to remove them on Tuesday 21 July
Project Timeline
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
15:08 PM
Project update
We’ve now laid and tested around 250 metres of water main and our second gang continues to work in Twyne close. We have connected 11 properties to the new pipeline so far.
Friday, 6 March 2026
08:47 AM
Project update
One team has now laid 200 metres of new water main, whilst a second team has begun work on the side roads off of Cedar Road.
There has been a slight change of schedule to our expected programme, all the information is available above on this webpage.
Thursday, 29 January 2026
11:44 AM
Project update
Work started as planned on our Cedar Road project on Monday 5 January.
The preparation work was finished and the first connection to the wider network has now been completed. 100m of new main has been laid to date which we are now testing, ready to transfer the first section of customer services to the new main.
We do all we can to minimise disruption to the community when laying new water mains and always look to install pipes in locations which will cause the least disruption, such as grass verges and when in a road, as close to the verge as possible.
In the case of Cedar Road and Hoades Wood Road, residents and businesses will still be able to access their property, but our team may have to make the working area safe to cross. This may mean waiting while the team does this.
We’ll be working in stages along the road and will be using a rolling road closure that will change location when our team has finished laying pipe in each section of the road.
This means the direction you enter your property may not be your usual route, or may change as we move along the road. The diversion route will be signposted for the duration of the work and will be available on this webpage.
As with all our roadworks, we always maintain access for emergency services. Emergency services are briefed well in advance. Our team will work as quickly as possible to make working areas safe for emergency vehicles to cross.
Bin collections and postal deliveries will still be able to access properties for the duration of our work. We advise of these services of our works and it is up to these providers to ensure that their services can continue during our works. Our on-site team will work with providers.
As the work will require connections to the existing network, there will be a short interruption in supply. We will notify you in advance when this is due to happen if you are impacted by this.
Customers with additional needs be it a disability, mental health or financial concerns can sign up to our Priority Services Register to help us understand how we can help you. More information can be found at southeastwater.co.uk/priority
This dedicated scheme webpage will be updated as work progresses, but if you have any concerns during the work, the staff on site will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
If you would like to speak to us direct, please call our advisors on 0333 000 0002 or email us at customerservices@southeastwater.co.uk
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