More than 6,000 homes and businesses across County Durham will benefit from a £4.6m investment by Northumbrian Water in water network upgrades.
The water company is carrying out work to enhance its network at Westerton, to support supplies in the village and for customers in Ferryhill, Kirk Merrington and Coundon.
A total of 850 metres of new water main will be constructed, leading from the A688 junction up to Westerton, in fields next to the road that leads into the village.
Additionally, a new pumping station will be constructed next to the A-road, to feed the water up to Westerton. Work will also be carried out to connect the new pipe to the existing network in the village and a storage reservoir that has been serving the village will be taken out of use.
The project is being carried out by Northumbrian Water’s partners, Esh-Stantec, with work starting in March 2025. While the new pumping station and water main are expected to be in operation by the start of 2026, the project team will remain on site in the early New Year to carry out the abandonment of the reservoir.
Victoria Jobling, Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager, said: “This investment will add resilience to water supplies for customers in Westerton, and beyond into the Ferryhill, Kirk Merrington and Coundon areas, as well as protecting water quality.
“We’ve designed the project to minimise disruption to people living in the area, but we recognise that elements, such as the connection work, will see us working within the village. We will work to reduce the impact of that wherever possible, and keep customers informed of what to expect while we are there.”
Progress on the project can be followed at