WORK is being carried out by South East Water on water mains along Longmoor Road as part of a £218,000 scheme to install some 700 yards of pipes.

Delivery manager Chris Love stated they hope to finish the work by the end of December, but it may continue for a few weeks into the new year.

Mr Love said: “When we tested the newly laid pipe, we identified that a small amount of water was leaking. We need to find the exact location of the leak and repair it before we can complete this project.”

Work is also being carried out to the clean water mains in Liphook to safeguard the quality of drinking water, 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 leaks manager Robert Anthony said: “Flushing is a very effective way of cleaning the inside of our water mains. Once the water reaches its journey’s end, the flushed water containing these deposits is directed into the drains and back into the water cycle.

“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.”