A WATER company has announced a plan to dig up and replace almost 10kms of pipes, potentially causing traffic misery for up to six months on village roads. Stansted Mountfitchet is one of the three villages that will benefit from the £1.5 million being s

A WATER company has announced a plan to dig up and replace almost 10kms of pipes, potentially causing traffic misery for up to six months on village roads.

Stansted Mountfitchet is one of the three villages that will benefit from the £1.5 million being spent on upgrading the water pipes.

Project manager for Three Valleys Water, Thomas Enright, said: "I would like to thank people in advance for their cooperation. We do understand that work of this nature does cause disruption but the end result will enable us to continue to deliver fresh tap water to our customers for many years to come."

The new pipes being installed are made of a special type of durable plastic which is more flexible than traditional metal water pipes and means they will last longer and are unlikely to burst or leak.

The company has worked closely with the local authority to develop a detailed plan of work which takes into account traffic management and the needs of the community.

Three Valleys Water has assured residents that wherever possible the latest construction techniques will be used to minimise the number of holes needed in roads and footpaths, and also try to reduce the need to dig long trenches.

Work will also be carried out in the villages of Burton End and Tye Green.

The work starts later this month and will continue until May 2009, it is being carried out by Enterprise Plc.

All households and businesses affected will receive a Three Valleys Water information pack in the post and details of where they are working can be found on the website www.3valleys.co.uk including a post code search and lots more about replacing the water pipes.