Drivers warned of Eastern Road closure as Southern Water says “sorry”

A burst sewer main in Eastern Road caused significant flooding at the start of September, resulting in Southern Water announcing weeks of planned closures as part of a £2.5m repair job.

The incident, which has been part of a series of leaks on the stretch of road over the past year, resulted in major lane closures at the time while engineers temporarily resolved the issue.

One lane on the southbound carriageway was due to be closed, just north of the Tangier Road junction, from Tuesday, October 21 at 8pm, where it would remain shut for an estimated seven weeks.

As part of the work, Southern Water will deploy high tech lining equipment to feed material through a small hole and down into the pipe underground before being heated, forming a new seal.

But, Southern Water has put the lane closure and work on pause due to a further survey needing to be completed. A spokesperson said the lane has been closed from Sunday, October 26 until the evening of Tuesday, October 28, for the survey to be carried out.

Once the survey has been completed, Southern Water will release details regarding the commencement of the full works.

Alex Saunders, director of wastewater operations, previously said: “Responding to this summer’s burst was a major logistical effort, and we are sorry for the impact it had on road users and the local community.

“Our teams worked hard to minimise disruption, but after similar challenges along the pipeline in previous years, we knew that we needed to act now to find the right long-term solution – so it won’t happen again.

“We would like to thank road users and local residents for their continued patience while we implement a long-term solution which will make this important pipe more resilient.”