Anglian Water’s @one Alliance has begun work on an upgrade worth nearly £1 million to the water network in Lower Stondon which will secure resilient water supplies for new homes in the Bedfordshire area, keeping taps running and toilets flushing for years to come.

Work will begin on the first phase of the scheme from 8 July and is expected to finish by August 2024 and will see over 700m of new water pipes installed for new homes being developed in the Lower Stondon area. More than 2000m of additional pipes will be installed over 2025.

The water company operates in the driest and flattest region of the UK, making it particularly vulnerable to extreme weather – including drought – as a result of climate change.

It may seem unbelievable, following one of the wettest winters on record, but without taking this action, the East of England would face a water deficit of nearly 600 million litres per day by 2050.

In November 2023, Anglian Water published its Thriving East report, which revealed that Bedfordshire is already among the Anglian Water region’s driest areas. The report suggested that the county will have some of the region’s highest predicated temperature increases and lowest future rainfall over the next thirty years

Michael Smith, Customer Experience Coordinator for the project, said: “With hotter and drier weather predicted in Bedfordshire by 2043, securing water resources for our customers has never been more important. Projects like this one in Lower Stondon mean we can ensure everyone in our region has a resilient supply of clean drinking water now and in the future.”

This marks the first phase of the project in Lower Stondon, with two further phases to take place. Phase two is expected in summer 2025, with phase three following in autumn 2025.

During the work, some traffic management will be needed to keep engineers, residents and road users safe.

There will be a footpath closure from 8 July to 19 August behind Virginia Place and two-way traffic lights will be on Station Road from 29 July to 9 August.

Investigation works will begin 22 July for phase three on Bedford Road and traffic lights will be in place between Loganberry Way up to the entrance of the caravan park for around four weeks.

For more information and updates about the works and traffic management can be found here.