Skip to main content
Northumbrian Water Home

Project Update 13/03/2026

From "Westerton Reservoir Abandonment & Pumping Station"

Go to the project

Dear Customer

An update on works in your area

We are now entering the final phase of the Westerton Reservoir Abandonment Project and would like to provide you with an update on what will be happening in and around the village over the coming weeks.

The new pumping station is now successfully and reliably supplying the areas of Westerton and Coundon, with only two final connections remaining on the lane leading out of the village. These final connections are expected to be completed within the next few weeks.

Once this work is finished, all properties previously supplied by the old reservoir will be fully served by the new pumping system. We will then proceed with the final permanent disconnections from the old reservoir pipework, completing the transition to the new infrastructure.

There will be a number of small black covers within the village green, known as toby covers. These are essential for the operation and maintenance of your water supply pipework and must remain accessible at all times to ensure a reliable supply now and in the future.

We are working closely with Durham County Council to ensure that all aspects of this work meet their requirements and specifications, including the concrete surrounds that will enable the Council to continue their routine grass‑cutting activities without risk of damage to their machinery. In addition, there will be a single valve chamber located within the central section of the village green, positioned close to the roadside.

Following the customer event, we held on 30 January 2026 at the Park Head Hotel, and the feedback received regarding the impact of the toby covers and the valve chamber, we have ensured that the concrete surrounds will be constructed to the minimum acceptable width and will be fully flush with ground level once all work is complete.

We will also be removing four old marker posts from the section of the green where the Observatory is located, and we will ensure that the reinstatement is completed to a high standard.

Please note that the initial backfilling will be a temporary measure until all decommissioning activities are concluded. Once this stage is finished, our landscaping contractor will carry out the full and final reinstatement.

The design of the new pumped system has been determined by the existing infrastructure within the village, which we needed to connect into. To minimise the impact of the work, the new pipeline and pumping station were constructed offline, allowing us to maintain supplies from the old network throughout the build, with only limited interruptions.

We recognise that the work on the village green has taken longer than initially anticipated. This is due to the significant amount of pipework and complexity of the network beneath the surface in this area. Some of this infrastructure predates our internal mapping systems, which meant additional excavation was required to locate and accurately trace it.

Alongside enabling us to carry out the necessary connection work, this has also delivered a longer‑term benefit by allowing us to update and improve the accuracy of our network mapping. This will help us reduce the likelihood of future issues and ensure any problems that do arise can be resolved more quickly.

It has been a priority for us to ensure that every existing connection was identified and successfully transferred to the new system before the reservoir is taken out of service. Your patience and understanding throughout this project particularly during the extensive excavation work on the village green have been greatly appreciated, and we would like to thank you for this.

We expect the reservoir abandonment works, reinstatement, and final landscaping to be fully completed by the end of May 2026. You should begin to notice a reduced contractor presence in the village from April onwards. We will provide a further update as we approach the completion of the project.

For more information and regular updates, please visit our community hub at Project: Westerton Reservoir Abandonment & Pumping Station | Northumbrian Water and follow the link to the relevant project page, where you will also find answers to frequently asked questions.

Kind regards

The Project Team

Comments(3)

Please to comment.
Most recent comments have loaded.
Profile of Megan Pye
Posted by:Megan Pye
4 weeks ago
Victoria Jobling Project Manager Northumbrian Water Dear Ms Jobling, Re: Ongoing Works on Westerton Village Green and Your Update of 13 March 2026 Thank you for your recent project update regarding the Westerton Reservoir Abandonment works. While I appreciate the information provided, I wish to raise several concerns about the proposed reinstatement of the village green, particularly regarding the installation of multiple new manhole covers (“toby” covers), the proposed use of planters, and the lack of clarity around design decisions that significantly impact the community. 1. Proposed Planters — Lack of Purpose and Long-Term Planning Your team has suggested providing planters, plants, and volunteers for a single day to assist with initial setup. I must express my concern about how this proposal meaningfully mitigates the visual and practical impact of the new manhole covers. • How exactly are the planters intended to help? I struggle to understand the rationale behind introducing temporary decorative items to offset what is a permanent and highly visible change to the green. • Why are some residents being encouraged to view this as an acceptable compromise? Once installed, the planters will become the responsibility of village residents to maintain indefinitely. This does not constitute a sustainable or thoughtful long term solution. • Where are the planters intended to be placed? If they are positioned along the front of the green adjacent to the road, it is unclear how this would detract from or conceal the unsightly manhole covers. • Does this imply the old wooden boundary posts will not be reinstated? If so, this raises concerns about preventing unauthorised access to the green—an essential function previously served by those posts. • If planters are to be positioned on or around manhole covers, this contradicts your own requirement for flush, unobstructed access for council maintenance teams. It would also lead to practical issues: council landscapers will not move planters to mow effectively and will instead resort to weed killer, leaving the area looking even more unkempt. Overall, planters appear to be a short term gesture rather than a meaningful or appropriate solution. 2. Lack of Clarity: How Many Manhole Covers Are Being Installed? Your update does not state the total number of new covers to be installed on the green. This is basic information the community should have been provided at the outset. I would like to know the exact number and placement of all planned covers. 3. Why Were Appropriate Recessed Covers Not Installed? I am concerned that appropriate recessed manhole covers were not considered or chosen. These would have allowed for: • Grass top covers, which would have significantly improved the visual reinstatement of the green • or a green coloured wet pour safety surface, which would minimise visual intrusion and reduce slip hazards. Children frequently play on the village green. Your current approach introduces new trip and slip hazards which are entirely avoidable had grass top or wet pour systems been considered during design. 4. Timing and Communication — Why Are These Issues Only Now Being Discussed? It is extremely concerning that: • Key design decisions were not communicated to residents before work commenced • Residents were repeatedly assured in your updates that the green would be “reinstated” • Significant deviations from that promise—such as visible access covers—were disclosed only when work was already well underway This raises questions about whether: 1. This is the result of poor planning and project management, with essential considerations overlooked until late in the process; or 2. Northumbrian Water was aware of these requirements from the outset, but chose not to inform residents until it was too late for meaningful objections to be raised. Either scenario is unacceptable for works that materially affect public land and community spaces. 5. Request for a Clear Response To ensure transparency and restore confidence, I would appreciate a detailed response addressing the following: 1. The exact number and placement of all manhole/toby covers being installed 2. The justification for not using recessed, grass top or alternative low impact cover systems 3. The intended long term purpose, location, and community maintenance expectations relating to the proposed planters 4. Whether the wooden boundary posts will be reinstated 5. How Northumbrian Water proposes to ensure the area is returned to a safe and visually sympathetic condition suitable for public recreation, including for children Thank you for taking the time to consider these points. Yours sincerely, Mrs Megan Pye
  • no likes
Profile of Community Hub Admin Team
Posted by:Community Hub Admin Team
4 weeks ago
@Megan Pye Hi Megan, Thank you for your comment. A member of our project team will get back to you next week regarding the points you’ve raised. Kind regards, Community Hub Admin Team
  • no likes
Profile of Community Hub Admin Team
Posted by:Community Hub Admin Team
3 weeks ago
Hello Mrs Pye, Firstly, thank you very much for your patience whist we worked through the concerns you recently raised regarding the proposed reinstatement of the village green at Westerton. I would like to provide some further information to address each of your specific points. 1. Proposed planters Our offer to provide planters, plants, and volunteers to help assemble them is simply one of two options that were discussed at the recent customer event held on 30 January at the Park Head Hotel. Other suggestions included seating or a bench for the village green. These are ideas from residents that we NWL feel would be appropriate to show our appreciation to the village and its residents for the patience demonstrated throughout the project, as we fully recognise the works have been disruptive. As part of our Social Value principles, we feel it is important to give back to the communities in which we work. No final decisions have been made, and we are very happy to work with all residents and Durham County Council to agree what would be welcomed by the majority. I can also confirm that any potential planters would not be placed on top of toby covers or chamber lids, as our maintenance teams require access to the network once the project is complete. They would be located in the most suitable position, agreed with residents. The previous wooden posts within the centre of the village green will be fully reinstated; only the four marker posts near the observatory area will be removed as they are redundant nwl posts that are no longer required. 2. Clarity on covers I can confirm there will be 22 small toby covers, which are much smaller than a manhole cover. A manhole cover is specifically designed to allow a person to enter the network. There will also be a single valve chamber with a larger cover to allow safe access to our assets. At the start of the project, we were unable to estimate the exact requirements until excavations were completed and we could understand the layout and condition of the existing underground network. This included identifying where connections were needed. We have reviewed, and will continue to review, all possible options to reduce the visual impact while still maintaining the necessary functionality, security, and accessibility, and meeting the requirements set by Durham County Council as custodians of the land. .3. Recessed covers Please be reassured that all covers will be set flush to ground level once reinstatement and landscaping tasks are complete. Recessed covers are not suitable for public water assets, although they can be used on some private systems. Toby covers must be clearly locatable and accessible to our operational teams, who may be working alone and may need to respond quickly to urgent issues. They must also be durable, fit for purpose and, particularly in the case of the valve chamber, meet national security standards. Many private drainage covers do not meet these requirements. Artificial-grass-topped covers are designed for private gardens and paved areas and are not suitable for public assets. They also fade quickly, as do dyed concrete mowing strips. Any form of camouflage would make essential operational access more difficult and could create delays. All covers used are designed to meet the required security, health & safety, and engineering standards for the public water network, and are agreed with Durham County Council. As previously mentioned, we are continuing to explore alternative options for the valve chamber where possible. 4. Timing of communication As mentioned earlier, the exact details regarding location and design were not available at the start of the project. The design evolved as excavations progressed and the existing infrastructure became visible, which is common when working with older buried assets where inherited records are not always detailed or accurate. Unfortunately, the complexity of the existing pipework and the necessary connections was greater than anticipated. This resulted in a higher number of covers in the village green than originally expected which we completely understand has caused concern and disappointment. Please be assured there was no available alternative route for this pipework. All valves and connections are essential to ensure that every property in the village is correctly connected to the new system, and that the network can be accessed, operated, and maintained both now and in the future. We did not undertake work on the village green lightly, and had a feasible alternative existed, we would have taken it. I hope this information is helpful to you and the wider community and provides clarity on the decisions made to ensure a reliable, effective supply for Westerton, Coundon, and Kirk Merrington in the years ahead. Please do let me know if you have any further questions, I’m very happy to help. Many thanks, The Project Team
  • no likes
Total likes: 1, total dislikes: 0
. Sign in to react.

Share

Posted by

Profile of Community Hub Admin Team Community Hub Admin Team on 13 March 2026

Current status

Update