A £2.5 million scheme to strengthen the water supply network between Melksham and Chippenham has been completed near Lacock.
The nine-month project, which began in spring 2025, saw more than two kilometres of ageing water main replaced between Wessex Water’s Lacock Pumping Station off Mons Lane and Bowden reservoir.
Wessex Water said the work will improve reliability and water quality for customers across central Wiltshire and forms part of wider investment in rural water infrastructure, including up to £3 million spent in the Calne area over the past two years.
The scheme was carried out largely on private land around the historic village of Lacock and involved a number of technical and environmental challenges. Engineers used directional drilling to install pipework beneath the River Avon and a nearby woodland area to reduce disruption and environmental impact.
More than 300 metres of the new main was also installed using a sliplining technique - inserting a smaller pipe inside the existing one - to avoid disturbing an archaeologically sensitive site that includes an Iron Age hill fort.
Despite the complexity of the work, Wessex Water said there were no interruptions to customers’ water supplies during the project.
Alex Aulds, networks project manager at YTL Construction UK, said the rural location required careful planning.
“Although much of the work went on largely unnoticed across private land, a great deal of effort went into making sure it was carried out safely and sensitively,” he said.
Archaeologists were present during the early stages of construction, with tiles and pottery dating back to the 13th century uncovered, believed to have been produced at nearby medieval kilns.
Environmental protection measures included the installation of nearly a mile of fencing to safeguard Great Crested Newts. Hedgerows and trees are due to be replanted in the new year, with further reseeding and reinstatement planned for spring 2026.
The Lacock project forms part of Wessex Water’s wider programme to renew more than 12,000 kilometres of water mains across the region, supplying around 1.4 million customers. The company is also aiming to reduce leakage by 20 per cent between 2020 and 2030, having repaired more than 15,600 leaks during 2024-25.
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