South West Water has provided an update on their work to fix a burst sewage pipe at Maer Lane pumping station.

Richard Price, South West Water’s (SWW) managing director for Waste Water Services says that more than '100 people are working around the clock' to fix the issue and are doing 'what they can' to protect the network from future bursts.

Workers have installed four overland pipes - each almost 400 metres long – to bypass the section that needs investigating, as well as two further temporary pipes going from the pumping station to the treatment works.

This allows wastewater to be pumped up to the works for treatment as normal. This means that tankers are no longer needed and have been stood down.

The burst section of the sewer has been taken offline, and CCTV work is being used both upstream and downstream of the burst section to investigate the condition of the pipe and evaluate any other sections that may need replacing before the sewer is repaired and brought back online.

On August 14, SWW experienced an 'unexpected' burst on the sewer that runs from Maer Road Pumping Station to Maer Lane Wastewater Treatment Works. They say teams stopped the leak within 'two hours' and laid a temporary solution to bypass the damaged main so a permanent repair can be made.

Mr Price, from SWW said: "Following the burst sewer we experienced in Exmouth a few weeks ago, I would like to provide an update to everyone in the area about the work we are doing and the progress we have made to put things right.

"A considerable amount of additional work has also been carried out to ensure the system can operate as normal while we investigate and repair the sewer, including adding devices that help manage the flows being pumped through the temporary pipes.

"We know how disappointed residents and visitors to Exmouth are. I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything we can, as quickly and thoroughly as possible, to ensure your local wastewater network is fit for the future.