Portsmouth traffic: Eastern Road to be closed for longer as Southern Water find new leak during repairs

The southbound lane has been shut since Thursday (December 14) for engineers to fix a burst sewer. The incident happened on December 6 and severe traffic delays have been a frequent occurrence.

Southern Water have been carrying out the repairs and issued an update yesterday stating the project should be finished this evening and the route would be reopened. Those plans have now been scuppered after a second leak was discovered at a different section of the pipe. The company announced the southbound route will be closed until Wednesday (December 20), apologising again for the inconvenience.

NOW READ: Severe traffic jams on Eastern Road

In a statement on its website, the utility company said: “We completed repairs to a burst sewer pipe in Eastern Road yesterday evening. Unfortunately another leak on a nearby section has been detected when bringing the pipe back into service. We’ve immediately started further work on excavating the pipe to confirm the location of the leak and repair it.

"We’re sorry to say this will mean the road closure currently in place will likely continue until the middle of Wednesday morning (December 20). We know the ongoing repairs can be frustrating and we again apologise for the disruption to all residents, businesses and drivers.

"The repairs are urgent to protect the environment and services to local homes. We’re aware there have been repeated issues on this section of pipework and a longer term solution will be identified in the new year to further protect the environment and avoid more disruption in future.”