WORK on the clean water mains in Farnham began this week to safeguard the quality of drinking water.

South East Water is carrying out the works as part of ongoing maintenance on the company’s underground mains.

The procedure, known as flushing, involves directing pressurised water through the mains so it scours the inside of the pipe.

This is to remove naturally-occurring, harmless deposits which build up over time.

While these deposits – typically iron and manganese - are not harmful, they can temporarily turn the water brown.

South East Water’s distribution manager Paul Mann said: “Flushing our water mains from the start to finish of our network – from our service reservoirs, which store fully treated drinking water, to the point at which it supplies our customers – is a very effective way of cleaning the inside of our water mains.

“We appreciate customers may have concerns about this water appearing to run to waste, but we only draw through our pipes as much as we need, and stop flushing once we can see the whole system is running crystal clear as usual.

“During the flushing process customers may notice a reduction in water pressure, and possibly some discolouration, but this is temporary and can be solved by running the kitchen tap until the water runs clear.”

The work, which began on Tuesday (October 13), is expected to be completed by November 13.