Long-awaited £750k water mains upgrade to begin after a decade of burst pipes and flooding in Windsor

An important road in Windsor that has been crying out for major works on its water pipes is finally getting a fix-up – after years of pushing.

Clewer Hill Road and surrounding streets have suffered repeated significant flooding in recent years due problems with Thames Water pipes.

Problems are frequent, and given the heavy use of the road, floods have cause traffic to grind to a halt on tourist routes into Windsor town centre, Legoland and to Royal Ascot.

Repeated floods from water leaks have been ‘going on for more than 10 years and ‘getting worse each year’, RBWM ward councillors previously said.

Last July, Clewer Hill Road was closed for urgent repairs after a burst water mains pipe.

In a single month it was closed for several days on two occasions – and one incident saw ‘hundreds of households’ lose water supply for up to 20 hours.

Given the ongoing issues, there were repeated calls last year to pull Thames Water into RBWM’s chamber to answer for what many councillors felt was a ‘disgraceful’ inadequate service.

The council leader Simon Werner and the town’s MP, Jack Rankin, were among those who called for a proper solution.

Thames Water did receive its public dressing-down in October – after which, the company said it would be making a £750,000 investment to fix the problems in the area.

The plan is to upgrade the water mains pipe on Clewer Hill Road.

Originally Thames Water had been looking to do this in spring 2025, and suggested road closures of about six weeks to accommodate the work.

Now it looks as though the works are set for autumn – and will span a period of time much longer than that.

The work is due to start on September 15 and the estimated completion date will be February 2026. Road closures will take place in November and in January next year.

In November, a closure is set for Hatch Lane between junction of Clewer Hill Road and Firs Avenue.

Then in January, Clewer Hill Road between the junctions of Addington Close and Winkfield Road will be closed off.

Speaking to the Express, Cllr Helen Price (Ind, Clewer and Dedworth East), is among those ward councillors who have lobbied for a permanent fix for years.

“My view is the infrastructure is so old and it hasn't been repaired to extend its life. It's just [been] ‘patch and repair.’

Speaking of the roadworks, she said it was bound to ‘be a pain’ but at least it will spell the end of the seemingly monthly disruption on Clewer Hill Road.

After ward councillors alerted residents to the works on Facebook, fellow users expressed their relief that something was finally being done.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “The work will take place across several phases and we will have traffic management on site during this time, including traffic lights and road closures.

“At the end of August, we will have dedicated webpage on the Thames Water website to provide regular updates for residents.”

A spokesperson for the Royal Borough added: "

A council spokesperson, said: "We have worked closely with Thames Water to facilitate their works which are required to resolve the reoccurring water leaks in the area.  Due to other programmed works on our road network, September is the earliest opportunity to start the project. 

We realise that there will be some disruption and have aimed to minimise the impact on residents by using traffic signals for most of the works, reducing the need for road closures."