£18m upgrade of Thanet sewers complete

We have completed an £18 million sewer upgrade in Thanet that will help reduce the risk of flooding in the area.

Some of the sewers beneath the streets in Thanet are more than 100 years old and we’ve been carrying out surveys and repairs to make sure they’re fit for the future. Tactics included relining and sealing pipes internally using the latest technology.

Work started in May 2022 and since then we’ve re-mapped 112 kilometres of our sewers with CCTV, and that has allowed us to focus in on 20 kilometre where work was needed most.

Sewer sealing involves inserting specially manufactured high strength sock into an existing pipe. It is then inflated and cured in place with UV light, creating a strong, seamless lining.

Our teams have also surveyed 500 manhole covers, replaced multiple manhole covers while internally relining 218 sewers, and excavating and repairing 38 sewers.

Gus Winterbottom, Project Manager at Southern Water said: “We’ve used mining experts to access ageing chalk tunnels because they’re so deep underground. We’ve also accessed the tunnels through manholes and used state-of-the-art CCTV surveys.

“The project surveyed and fixed the sewer network across Margate, Birchington, Westbrook, and Cliftonville and this work will help prevent flooding and help the environment.”

We kept residents updated at all times of the work, sending around 65,000 customer letters to households and businesses across 761 locations in Thanet.

Partners that were part of the project included: Kent County Council, Cappagh Browne, Clancy, UK Power Networks, ArcGIS, Conway, SGN, Adler & Allen and TMS (Traffic Management Services).