Thames Water Removing North End Road 'Concreteberg'
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6-week road closure required after illegal dumping caused sewer blockage
February 12, 2024 Parts of North End Road near the junction with Lillie Road are to close from six weeks from this Friday (16 February) due to works being undertaken by Thames Water. The water company says that the closures are required due to the need to clear sewers in the Fulham and Hammersmith area of a ‘concreteberg’ which it says has been formed by illegally dumped concrete from local building works. The issue was first identified last summer and has required Thames Water tankers to carryout daily pump outs of the sewers to prevent nearby homes and businesses from flooding while their engineers worked on the complex arrangements to remove the concrete. Working seven days a week with their contractors Cappagh, the teams will excavate the area and use specialist tools to break down the concrete. Once it has been removed, they will then replace the affected sections of sewers. The company is investigating this matter in order to reclaim costs for disruption caused and remedial costs incurred. It plans to progress the claim with a view to recover all costs for the mitigation measures that have been in place, and repair of the pipework. Jamie Keech, Area Network Manager for North West London at Thames Water said, “It’s very frustrating to see our customers suffer because of this mindless abuse of our network. This is not the first time we’ve seen damage caused by people pouring concrete into our sewers, which takes a great amount of resource to resolve. “We are working to find those who have caused this disruption to local residents and businesses, and we’d like our customers to know we will work seven days a week with our contractors and the local authority to get the road re-opened again as safely and quickly as possible.”
A Hammersmith & Fulham Council spokesperson said, “This illegally dumped concrete in the sewer poses a risk to local homes and businesses. We fully support Thames Water and their investigations into who is responsible for this wide-scale vandalism.” North End Road will be closed between the junctions of Sedlescombe Road and Lillie Road from Friday 16 February until Thursday 21 March, with a diversion route via Dawes Road, Munster Road and Lillie Road. Should you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Thames Water on 0800 3169800, and quote the job reference BB-53745. More information and updates can be found on the designated Thames Water web page.
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