Matlock sewer works to take six months

The town has been besieged by sewer bursts in recent months – particularly along Bakewell Road – and now Severn Trent are to launch six months of works to try and tackle the problems and reduce flooding.

The water and waste company is working in partnership with Derbyshire County Council to install monitoring equipment across the sewer network in Matlock, Matlock Bath, Darley Dale and Bonsall, to better understand the condition of the pipes. This wide-ranging survey begins from Monday, December 13 and is expected to take six months to complete.

Rob Murrell, Asset Manager at Severn Trent, said: “From time-to-time, we need to carry out surveys on our network, so we can better understand the condition of our pipes.

“Over the next couple of months, we’ll be installing specialist monitoring equipment across the sewer network in Matlock, which will help us to make future decisions on how we can improve the service we provide to customers.”

Rob added: “The majority of the work will be completed at night to minimise traffic disruption as much as possible. We’d like to thank everyone in advance for their patience as we get this essential work done.”

In September a fresh burst in the sewerage pipes on Bakewell Road caused new levels of havoc in the town centre – as works continued to repair several ruptures along Bakewell Road.

Residents living in Bakewell Road contacted the Mercury saying they were ‘totally fed-up’ of having to put up with the works, with one saying guests staying at the nearby Premier Inn had regularly remarked to her that it had marred their visit to the town. On Tuesday, August 3, Severn Trent began digging down to expose the pipe for a full inspection outside M&S following a burst.

Residents have highlighted the impact of new housing developments as a potential cause. Severn Trent is the UK’s second biggest water company. It serves 4.4m homes and business customers in England and Wales.