Work will begin tomorrow to replace an underground water tank which has served Sevenoaks for nearly a century.

The old tank, built in 1928, will be replaced by a much larger tank as part of a £424 million improvement project.

To minimise disruption to nearby homes and schools, a new temporary road is being built to carry construction traffic between the Solefields Reservoir site in Ashburnham Close and the A225 Tonbridge Road.

In addition, vehicles travelling to and from the site will be instructed not travel though Sevenoaks town centre, using the A225 and A21 instead, while there will also be a 20mph speed restriction on approach to the new access road.

The work, carried out by South East Water, will not affect supplies to the town as customers will receive their water from a second underground storage tank on the site, served by the Cramptons Road Water Treatment Works.

Paul Beaumont, project manager at South East Water said: “As the reservoir comes to the end of its usable life at the grand age of 96, we’re future-proofing Sevenoaks’ water supply by replacing the tank with a larger structure designed to meet the town’s water needs for the next 100 years.

“The tank stores treated drinking water produced at Cramptons Road Water Treatment Works in the north of town and is released on demand as customers turn on their taps.

“Without this vital work, Sevenoaks residents in the future could experience low tap water pressure or no water at all during times of high demand.

“Another existing storage reservoir will remain in place at the site to keep taps flowing during the work.

“Residents can keep up to date as work progresses via our website, corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/Solefields."

South East Water has appointed specialist contractor Murphy to deliver this scheme and engineers will start work on Monday, with the project set to last around 10 months.

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