Punnetts Town water main upgrade

Most of the work will be carried out under temporary traffic lights on Battle Road, although the project will require the following road closures:

• B2096 Battle Road at Three Cups Corner
• Middle Lane from the junction with the B2096 (Battle Road) to Pleydell’s Cottages
• School Hill from the junction with the B2096 (Cade Steet) to the junction with Old Heathfield Road
• Old Heathfield Road from the junction with the B2096 (Cade Street) to the junction with School Hill

We will also need to close side roads along Battle Road as work progresses and temporary traffic lights are moved to those areas. Small local diversions will be in place for these. This will allow us to minimise disruption by allowing two-way lights on the B2096.

Dates and durations of these closures will be advised closer to the start of the works.

The diversion routes, agreed by East Sussex Highways, are available on the website, southeastwater.co.uk/punnettstown, and will be clearly signposted locally for the duration of the works.

While we know traffic management can be disruptive, the safety of both the public and our workforce is a priority. Road closures will be kept to the shortest duration possible to minimise impact to customers and motorists.

When creating a diversion, we are required to offer a route which follows the same class (or above) of the road we are closing. For example, when we close a B road, the diversion needs to follow other B roads or above.

We are aware that local residents may know quicker ways to navigate around a diversion route. However, we do not encourage this, again for safety, and advise all traffic to follow the official diversion route at all times.

Road signs will be placed in advance to reinforce this message and advise of the diversion route. Signage will remain in place for the duration of each road closure, and we urge people not to tamper with these.

We work in phases along the road, in up to 150m sections, to maintain access for residents and businesses, and where necessary work between junctions to prevent the use of multiway traffic lights.

When using the open cut method, we will excavate the section of road, lay the pipe and return the working area to its original state before we move to the next section. This may mean that the direction you take to enter or leave your property may change as we move along the road.

Teams will be working extended hours, from 7.00am to 7.00pm on weekdays, and from 9.00am to 5.00pm on Saturdays.

Our programme of works is based on using open cut methods to lay the new pipeline. This requires us to dig a trench to install the main. Once on site, we may find sections suitable for directional drilling: a faster method to lay pipeline. However, this is dependent on ground conditions. We have recently gathered information from several trial holes that will help us to determine which areas we can use this alternative method.

This 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 Customer Technical Centre on 0333 000 1100 or email us at customerservices@southeastwater.co.uk

To register for free text or email updates about work in your area, visit aqualerter.southeastwater.co.uk/manage-alerts