UPDATE 16.30 on 21st April
SES Water have just confirmed that the closure on Hayes Lane and Kenley Lane will remain in place until Monday evening 24th April.
UPDATE 12.30 19th April
The latest update from SES Water is as follows:
As you'll be aware, yesterday we fixed the burst water pipe in Kenley Lane and our customers' water supply should now be back to normal.
We’re very sorry for the stress and inconvenience caused by the issue and thank all our customers for their patience while we made the repair.
To complete the work, and return the ground to how it was before, we will need to return tonight.
The work is planned to take place between 11pm and 4am, during which the water supply will be temporarily interrupted. However, by completing the work in the early hours of the morning we hope this will reduce any further disruption to customers.
During this time we asked customers to please:-
- Only use hot or cold water if they really need to
- Do not use washing machines or dishwashers
Once water supplies are turned back on it is common for tiny air bubbles to be present, making the water look milky or cloudy. In most cases the water will return to normal within a few hours.
If customers do experience cloudy water at any time, we recommend they don’t leave their taps running but check the water at regular intervals. For more information, please check the discoloured water factsheet on our website.
UPDATE 16.00
SES water, as of 15.15 have announced that they've fixed the burst water main pipe in Kenley Lane (CR8) and customers' water supply should be returning shortly, as pipes re-fill.
While everything is back up and running they'll need to come back tomorrow night to complete the work and return the ground to how they found it.
Customers may notice their water is discoloured for a short while. SES say that there are no health concerns associated with drinking the water. If this is the case, please read their factsheet on discoloured water.
In the meantime, the bottled water station is still open and can be found at:
All Saints Church
Church Rd
Kenley
CR8 5DU
UPDATE 11.45
SES hope to have supplies up and running by midday. It seems as through SES have not been contacting their vulnerable customers until now. If you are unable to get out to get water, please let me know and my Cllr colleague Ola Kolade will deliver water to you. Ola and I are in contact with the Council Resilience Team.
SES Water have closed Kenley Lane between its junctions with Hayes Lane and Redwood Close. The signed diversion for displaced traffic is via A22 Godstone Road / Whyteleafe Hill /Hornchurch Hill /Beverley Road /Valley Road. The road is expected to be reopened by 21st April.
UPDATE 07:37
The area affected is below. Register for updates at In Your Area (digdat.co.uk)
UPDATE 0:7.00 18th April
I have spoken to SES water this morning. 530 properties are still affected, but they weren't able to tell me which roads. I have asked them to email customers to update them on the situation and I'm expecting a call back in the next few hours. I have asked for reassurance that priority (vulnerable) customers are being directly supported. They have said that bottled water has been given to their priority customer list and more will be delivered this morning. The council's resilience team is also liaising directly with SES to ensure an appropriate response.
A water station has been set up at All Saints Church.
A live main was found in the excavation, although teams were onsite all night, the area needed to be made safe by UK Power Networks, before they can carry on works. It seems that this won't be a quick fix.
Trains are running.
https://seswater.co.uk/your-water/work-in-your-area/network-latest.
UPDATE: 06.00 18th April 2023
The following roads have been restored however you may still be experiencing some discoloured water:
Firs Road / Abbots Lane / Roke Road / Oaks Way / Northwood Avenue.
For roads outside of this area, we are continuing repair works, our team is on-site and engineers will be carrying out urgent repair work to get this resolved.
https://seswater.co.uk/your-water/work-in-your-area/network-latest.
UPDATE: 21.30 on 17th April 2023
The water engineers have isolated 2 of the 3 affected valves. A team is on site from SES Water and Network Rail as the railway lines continues to flood, but trains are still running. Valley Road is closed at the junction with Welcomes Road and Kenley Lane. At this time, engineers are unable to give a time estimation to resolve the situation.
The engineers tell me that properties up the hill from Hayes Lane including: Hayes Lane, Kenley Lane, Welcomes Road, Church Road, Park Road, Abbotts Lane, Firs Road and Higher Drive, and the roads that run off them are likely to be impacted and residents may not have access to drinking water.
SES have drinking water available and are proactively contacting priority customers. Updates are available at Network latest | SES Water. If you have any concerns or need access to water, contact SES on 01737 772000.
17.00 on 17th April
There has been an enormous water mains burst on Kenley Lane at the junction with Hayes Lane. Kenley Lane is impassable by foot or car. Buses have been diverted and the railway is starting to flood.
The police are doing a great job diverting traffic away, but please do try and avoid the area.
An engineer from SES Water is at the junction now to ascertain how the burst has happened. He has advised that it is possible that residents in the area may have water supply difficulties.
