East Sussex road damaged after ‘thousands of gallons’ of water spill out of burst water pipe

South East Water have issued an apology after taking more than a month to repair a burst water pipe in Lewes Road, Uckfield.

The water firm said it was made aware about the burst water main on January 18. At the time, one resident tweeted the company a photo of the street saying: “hundreds of gallons of water wasted daily flowing down Lewes Road #uckfield - no sign of any repairs. #noexcuse #everydropcounts How much is you inaction costing us?”

South East Water replied stating it was awaiting the results of an inspection before digging in the area to have the leak repaired.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

East Sussex residents accuse housing developer of making village roads a 'serious driving hazard'

Temporary traffic light catches fire by Exceat Bridge

‘Further progress is required’ at Hailsham care home for people with learning disabilities

The company say the area of the burst pipe was in close proximity of a tree and beside a steep bank, meaning careful planning had to be undertaken before it could start repairs.

On February 13, the same resident tweeted the supplier again, saying: “Good Evening - what’s the latest please, on the burst water main at Lewes Road #uckfield - now into the 5th week of not much happening? Also, can you tell me the cost ££ of this burst - and how much water is going down the drain daily please? #everydropcounts #uckfield”

The pipe was eventually repaired on February 19, but it is unclear how much water has been wasted from the broken pipe in that time.

The leak has also caused damaged to the road surfaces between the two mini roundabouts on the road and workers from South East Water will remain on the site until February 24 to clear and reinstate the tarmac.

Matthew Dean, Head of Operations Sussex at South East Water, said: “The burst main was brought to our attention on 18 January but due to the area of the burst, which is in close proximity of a tree and beside a steep bank, careful planning had to be undertaken before we could start repairs.

"We’re very sorry to the local community for any inconvenience this burst pipe has caused. Unfortunately leaks and bursts like this do happen on our vast network of underground pipes, which spans more than 9,000 miles.”