Message from South East Water:

The water pipes in Burnt Oak Road, Uckfield, have a history of frequent bursts, which has meant low water pressure and sometimes no water for our customers.

We’re sorry this happened; it’s not acceptable. We’re always working to reduce the number of leaks and bursts we have. With this in mind, to make the water supply in this area more reliable, we’re going to replace around 765 metres of pipeline.

What’s going to happen and when?

We’re going to replace around 765 metres of water pipes in Burnt Oak Road, Uckfield.
We’ll be starting work on Monday 2 March. We expect the work to take approximately 14 weeks. We’ll do our best to get the work done faster if we can.

How will this affect residents and businesses?

We’re sorry for the disruption this work is going to cause; we know it’s inconvenient. We’ll do our absolute best to keep it to a minimum.

For the safety of the public and our team, we’ll need to close a section of Burnt Oak Road, covering the main bend in the road, between the villages of High Hurstwood and Burnt Oak.

We know road closures can be disruptive and they are a last resort, however safety is at the forefront of our minds. Diversion routes, agreed with East Sussex Highways, will be signposted for the duration and published on our website.

Accessing property

We’ll maintain access for residents and businesses throughout the works, and our customer liaison manager will be visiting those impacted to help understand how we can minimise disruption while we complete this vital work.

While we will maintain access, there may be times when there may be a wait if we’re working directly outside the entrance to their property or while we finish a task, such as a concrete pour. The length of this wait will depend on the task; it could be we just need to make the area safe to get by or it could be that we need to finish that particular part of work.

The direction residents enter their property from may not be their usual route or it may change as we move along the road.

Diversion routes, agreed by East Sussex Highways, will be available to view at southeastwater.co.uk/Burnt-Oak-Road and will be signposted for the duration of the work.

Water supply

We may need to turn the water supply off for a short time when we connect our new pipes to the existing network. We’ll let residents know at least 48 hours beforehand, so they can plan ahead.

Need extra support?

If you know of any residents in your area who may need any extra support during the work, please signpost them to our Priority Services Register. We have all sorts of services to help customers who may need it. For example, if they’re struggling financially, have an illness or disability or are looking after a child under five.

They can find out more and sign up at southeastwater.co.uk/psr

Want to know more?

We’ll be regularly posting news and other information at: southeastwater.co.uk/Burnt-Oak-Road

Thank you for your understanding while we improve the water supply for you and your community.