A TEMPORARY footpath closure will be in place in Ropley for 10 weeks while South East Water lays a new section of pipe to secure water supplies.

The water company will be laying a 210-metre pipeline along a footpath which runs adjacent to Winchester Road and The Dene from next Tuesday.

For the safety of the company’s workforce and pedestrians, this section of footpath will be closed while work takes place.

Traffic lights will also be in place from September 4-18.

Matthew Cooper, project manager at South East Water, said: “This important scheme will secure water supplies for current and future customers as the community grows.

“The safety of the public and our workforce is our top priority when carrying out work which is why we need to implement this temporary footpath closure.”

He added: “We expect this work to take approximately 10 weeks to complete but our contractor will be working as safely and quickly as possible to complete this work as soon as possible.

“I would like to apologise for the disruption this work will cause but hope pedestrians and motorists understand the long-term benefits this scheme will deliver.”

The scheme is part of the company’s £424m investment programme which is due to be completed in 2020.