Ageing water main pipe causing water discolouration to be replaced
The pipe at Corfe Castle has burst 10 times in the past 25 years
Last updated 17th May 2022
Plans to replace an ageing water main at Corfe Castle are at an advanced stage – according to Wessex Water.
A cast iron pipe which runs from the village eastern booster site alongside the B3351 Studland road will be replaced with a 315mm water main which will run parallel to the road, offset by 5-10metres in fields over a distance of 1,375metres.
The work will also involve the construction of a 40m by 40m compound in a field off the road.
Wessex Water say the existing 10-inch pipe is badly corroded and has suffered a number of bursts, ten recorded in the past 25 years, including a major one in February 2019. The pitted main is also the cause of discoloured water for householders in the area from time to time.
Work on the replacement main is expected to start in July this year and will last for around five months with the company saying it will not significantly affect any site of nature conservation interest, although seven sections of hedgerow, between 5 and 10m long, totalling 40metres, will have to be removed to access the working areas. All will be reinstated once the work is finished.
One of these is alongside the Thrashers Lane local wildlife site managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust with special measures agreed with the Trust to reinstate the area. This will involve removing the turf and top layer, storing it until the works are finished and then reinstating it to preserve the original flora.
Any work which involves the road will not be undertaken, unless it can be avoided, until after the main summer holiday season.
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “This is a major project to repair a cast-iron water main that has burst regularly over the last decade and is now unsuitable for the demand currently being placed on it.
“The work is expected to take around five months to complete. The existing main is sited entirely within the road but, mindful of the impact that replacing it in its current location would cause, we have redesigned the project so that all but 330 metres of the new main will be moved into adjacent fields.
“We are continuing to work closely with Dorset Council to finalise the schedule for the on-road element of the scheme, which will take place after the holiday season.
“Once these details of the scheme have been finalised we will make them public to ensure that local people and road users are fully advised ahead of the start of the project.’’