An update on Exmouth's sewerage issues.

South West Waters Chief Operating Officer John Halsall, has given an update on how works are progressing.

People living around Exmouth will know about the operational issues we have experienced in the area over the last few months. I’d like to take the opportunity to sincerely apologise to anyone who has been affected and to explain what issues we have faced and what steps we are taking to ensure this doesn’t happen again. There has been some misunderstanding about the work at times so I would like to share the facts with you now.

 In the middle of December, we experienced the first in a series of bursts on part of our sewer between the Plumb Park housing estate and Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works. After investigation, it became clear that the burst occurred due to the condition of the pipe, which was unexpected because it was not known to have deteriorated and had only burst once in the previous 20 years.

Due to the condition the pipe was found to be in, we quickly determined that the only way we could ensure resilience for the future would be to replace the entire section. This is roughly 500-metres long and will see an investment of around £2 million, which is due to be completed by the end of this month.

To address the initial burst, we installed a temporary overland pipe to bypass the damaged section. Unfortunately, we experienced three further bursts on other parts of this section of pipe, most recently on 13 February.

Whilst we were repairing or putting in sections of overland pipe to bypass the burst we had no choice but to use tankers to take flows from Phear Park Pumping Station to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works. The completed overland pipe runs from Plumb Park to Maer Lane. Now this is in place we are no longer using tankers, but have kept a small number in the area as a precaution.

We really appreciate that the tankering caused disruption for customers in the area and we are sincerely sorry for that. This was the least worst option available to us but we understand it was far from ideal.

We have been in regular contact with the Environment Agency throughout the duration of the works and we have been keeping them updated on our progress. We have also been providing updates to the council, the local MP, local media and customers. We know how much it means to everyone to get the information they want, when they want it. Different people are interested in different aspects of this repair and so it is very difficult to update everyone, all the time, but we are working as hard as we can to keep everyone informed and we know we can do better.

In response to the issues in Exmouth and the concerns of local residents, we recently held a community roadshow at Exmouth Town Hall to answer questions from customers, talk about our investment plans and provide reassurance. I was very pleased to take part in the event and meet with some very passionate customers.

We are now replacing the 500-metre section of pipe which runs from Plumb Park housing estate to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works. Since 2008, replacement and relining work has been carried out to the other section of this main, which runs from the housing estate to Phear Park Pumping Station. This means that the entire main from Phear Park to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works will have been upgraded when the repair is completed.

Once again, I would like to reiterate how sorry I am personally to local residents for the ongoing issues in Exmouth and I really appreciate their continued patience. I would also like to thank all of our operational teams who have worked hard in an extremely challenging situation, and who continue to work hard on the long-term solution for Exmouth.