A �1.5 MILLION scheme has begun to replace two miles of worn-out Victorian water mains in London’s East End, the latest stage in a seven-year programme to replace 1,300 miles of leaking old pipes under London by 2010, some of which are 150 years old
A �1.5 MILLION scheme has begun to replace two miles of worn-out Victorian water mains in London’s East End.
It is the latest stage in a seven-year programme to replace 1,300 miles of leaking old pipes under London by 2010, some of which are 150 years old, close to the neighbourhood where the massive scheme began in 2003.
“We’ve already replaced 1,000 miles since beginning this work six years ago,” said Thames Water’s project manager Tim Owens.
“By the time we’ve finished, we would have laid enough new pipes to stretch 11 times around the M25.”
FLEXIBLE PLASTIC
His engineers are starting work putting in new, tough, flexible plastic mains in parts of Mile and Bethnal Green, along Cambridge Heath Road, Roman Road, Bancroft Road and Warley Street.
London was losing up to a quarter of its water supplies through leakage when the London-wide scheme began in 2003 at Bethnal Green, half-a-mile from the latest stage in the upgrading. This leakage has been reduced in the past four years by 24 per cent.
The new plastic pipes are less susceptible to damage from soil corrosion and traffic vibrations.
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