A four-month project to upgrade a water mains in a rural part of East Hampshire plagued with supply issues and leaks will begin in under a fortnight.

South East Water have apologised to residents in Privett ahead of work to replace around 1.2kms of pipeline in the Filmorehill Lane area of the village.

Residents in the area – one of the most remote part of the district – have been left with little or no water in recent years because of a succession of burst pipes.

And a SEW boss has admitted “that’s not acceptable” to long-suffering residents with work set to begin on Monday (October 20) on a major upgrade.

“This is an important project for us,” said SEW project manager, Jeremy Dufour.

“The water pipes in this area have burst eight times in the last five years, which has meant low pressure and at times, no water for our customers.

“This is not acceptable and we’re sorry to our customers who have been affected by this.”

Mr Dufour added: “We’re always working to reduce the number of leaks and bursts and by carrying out this work now, we will be strengthening our network and increasing resilience.”

The company has also apologised in advance for the disruption that local residents and businesses are likely to experience over the coming months from the work.

They have vowed to finish the work as quickly and safely as possible to minimise disruption, with some activity possible at evenings and weekends in addition to normal working hours.

Filmorehill Lane will be closed in sections with two diversion routes in place via the A32 Gosport Road and Fawley Lane to the north and Stocks Lane, A272 and A32 to the south.

For more information about the project and diversion routes visit: www.southeastwater.co.uk/Filmorehill