Tunnelling work in the pipeline

Work has started to lay the pipes needed to transfer treated drinking water from South West Water's new £60million Mayflower Water Treatment Works into Plymouth's water distribution system.

The new pipeline will run from the new treatment works, currently under construction at Roborough, just north of Plymouth, to Coombe Lane, near Tamerton Foliot.

Later in the project more pipes will need to be laid between Coombe Lane and Plymouth.

570 seven-metre pipes, each weighing 1.4 tonnes, will be laid approximately two metres deep along the four-kilometre route. Each pipe is 80cm in diameter.

The pipeline will cross under the A386 just north of the junction with New Road. A tunnelling machine will be used to burrow this 60-metre long section in July, enabling the main Plymouth to Tavistock road to remain open.

Most of the rest of the pipeline will be under fields, but two brief road closures are planned.

Soper's Hill in Roborough will be closed between its junction with Roborough Lane and its junction with Tamerton Road for approximately four days in mid-July. Pound Cross in Roborough will be closed between Tamerton Road and Common Lane for approximately four days at the end of July.

Clearly signed diversion routes will be in place and local residents will receive more information when the road closure dates are confirmed.

South West Water's new £60million state-of-the-art water treatment works will serve Plymouth and the surrounding area.  About 150 people will be employed in its construction.

More information is available at www.southwestwater.co.uk/mayflower