St George’s Walk Water Main Renewal
Essential upgrades to improve reliability and reduce leaks
Portsmouth Water is investing £15 million by 2030 to renew 52 km of water mains, aiming to reduce leaks and improve supply reliability. For every job we not only renew the main, valves and fire hydrants, but at the same time replace the individual service pipe, between the main in the street and the stopcock at property boundaries.
As part of this we're renewing the water mains along St George’s Walk and adjoining roads, starting from 13 April for 15 weeks.
Status update: 17 June 2026
We have now completed Phases 1 and 2 of this complex project, with Phase 3 scheduled to complete at the end of this week.
This means that we have renewed the water mains from the clock end of St George's Walk to the junction with Swiss Road, down Swiss Road and down the cul-de-sac before Wellington Way.
Over the next few weeks we will be undertaking the works required to renew the water main down St George's Walk to the junction with the A3. This will lead to some minor disruption to bus routes as we will need to close the lane for buses to turn right. The two way traffic lights will also remain in place during this time.
Due to the challenges involved in undertaking works down Portland Road we have moved this phase to the end of the project (approximately 6 weeks time).
What to expect
Our experienced utility contractor, Cappagh, will be carrying out the works. The project has been carefully planned to minimise disruption, but there will still be some unavoidable impacts, including:
Some parking restrictions
Footway closures in certain areas
Minor changes to bus routes
Temporary supply interruptions
A small number of properties may experience a short interruption to water supply (under 3 hours) when being switched to the new main. Anyone affected will receive advance notification, and we’ll also confirm once supply is fully restored.
Techniques we’ll be using throughout the project
Open cut: Sections of road or pavement are excavated so a new water main can be laid alongside the existing pipe.
Insert: We dig a hole at each end of the section being renewed and another hole at the end to allow a new mains pipe to be inserted in the existing pipe. Additional small excavations will be made to enable us to replace stop taps governing the supplies to individual properties.
Throughout the works, the team will establish a storage compound. Initially this will be established near the clock, before moving to a location near the junction with Portland Road. Any dug out material will be cleared regularly and we will also be carrying out regular washdowns to manage dirt and dust).
Phases of work
Clock end of St George’s Walk to the junction with Swiss Road - works will start by the clock and carry on up to the junction with Swiss Road. You can find previous updates on this phase below.
Status update: 20 April 2026
The first week of the project has focused on our teams preparing for the initial phase of works. We’ve installed temporary valves to allow water supplies to be shut off with the least possible impact on nearby properties, and excavation work for Phase 1 is now underway.
We’re also taking great care to protect features of the street. Where necessary, for example near the clock, excavation is being carried out by hand rather than using machinery.
Phase 1 is now complete
Swiss Road – access will be maintained for residents and deliveries. You can find previous updates on this phase below.
Status update: 6 May 2026
Work continues on Phase 1. We have inserted 54m of new main from the Clock Tower, down to the entrance of Swiss Road.
There just remains completion of the works around the Clock Tower itself. These are proceeding slightly slower than anticipated due to the challenging nature of the ground and the condition of the fittings on the existing main.
We will be removing the traffic lights from Swiss Road ahead of local elections on Thursday 7 May, so instead of continuing works down Swiss Road, the crew will be preparing future phases of the project further down St George's Walk.
Phase 2 is now complete
Junction of Swiss Road to cul-de-sac before Wellington Way and down cul-de-sac - access will be maintained for deliveries and also to the bins but parking spaces will be limited during this time.
Portland Road – the most challenging phase of the work given the narrow width of the road and the number of properties located on the road. During this phase we do expect that the taxi pick-up at the end of Portland Road will be suspended and we will work with residents on an individual basis around their access requirements.
From the junction with Portland Road to the end of St. George’s Walk – the lane for buses to turn right is likely to be closed, requiring buses to go up to the roundabout and come back in order to turn right onto the A3. There will also be two way traffic lights on St George’s Walk during this phase of the works.
Along the footpath at the top of St George’s Walk – works carried out by insert to minimise disruption but we will still need to close the footpath during this period.
Disconnecting the old main – will require holes dug at either end of St George’s Walk.
We fully appreciate the disruption that our works can cause and thank you for your patience and cooperation while we complete these essential network improvements.
Want to talk to us?
We are committed to working with our customers to minimise disruption as much as possible. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 023 9249 9888, and ask for Emma or Rachel.