Wales & West Utilities is set to start a £600,000 gas pipe investment scheme in the Hornsbury Hill area of Chard which will make sure that local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.

Starting on 8 May, the work will involve upgrading 3km of old metal pipes to new plastic ones along the A358 Hornsbury Hill. Barring any engineering difficulties, it is anticipated the scheme will take 16 weeks to complete.

Ahead of the scheme Wales & West Utilities has worked closely with Somerset County Council to plan work and it has been agreed that traffic management will be in place to keep disruption to the local community and road users to a minimum.

Two-way traffic lights will be used throughout,t at various locations on the road, as the work progresses. These will firstly be in place on Hornsbury Hill between the junctions of Peasmarsh Farm Lane and Thorndun Park. Further three-way lights will be required later in the project at the junction with Cuttifords Door.

Wales & West Utilities Programme Controller Barry Sale is managing the work and said:

“We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it really is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to heat homes and power businesses in the area and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future. We’ll have a team of gas engineers on site throughout the project to make sure our work is completed as safely and as quickly as possible while keeping disruption to a minimum.

“We’re very aware of the effect that our work can have on communities and commuters and want to assure everyone that we are working closely with Somerset County Council to get this essential work done as quickly as possible, while causing the least inconvenience to local people.”

Our Customer Service Team is ready to take your call if you have any questions about our work. You can contact them on freephone 0800 912 2999 or enquiries@wwwutilities.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or Facebook.com/WWUtilities

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service that serves the south west of England and Wales, puts customers at the heart of the business and is rated the top utility company in the UK for customer service. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night. 

The company also has a multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded to new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years, to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.