Thames invests £1.2m in trunk main testing rig to prevent water bursts

Thames Water considers opening the project to other water firms to enable other trunk main technologies to be developed and trialled

Thames Water has invested £1.2 million in a test facility to prevent burst water mains, which can cause major disruption to customers.

The Jeff Farrow Trunk Main Test Rig, located at the Kempton Park water treatment works, is the first of its kind in the water industry.

The facility enables the water company to trial different technologies for detecting defects in large cast iron pipes, such as corrosion, which can weaken the metal and lead to burst mains.

The test rig is named in memory of retired Thames Water engineer Jeff Farrow and is being used to host trials by two specialist suppliers.

Thames Water plans to open the facility to the rest of the water industry once trials are complete.

Thames Water’s Engineering and Asset Director, Caroline Sheridan, said the Jeff Farrow Trunk Main Test Rig’s completion was a significant achievement in enhancing their knowledge of the condition of cast iron trunk mains.

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