By Alex Jee

South East Water have announced plans to replace an old underground storage reservoir in Sevenoaks.

The old tank, built in 1928, will be replaced by a much larger tank as part of a £424 million improvement project.

Speaking at a public information evening held at West Heath School on Thursday, 11 April, engineers announced the plan to help meet the anticipated needs of the town in the future.

The old reservoir stores 3.7 million litres of treated drinking water produced at Cramptons Road Water Treatment Works, which is released on demand as customers turn on their taps.

The new five million litre container will replace the existing one in Ashburnham Close, Sevenoaks, during the 10-month project.

It will have the same volume as 44 double decker buses, and while the work takes place another treated water storage tank will remain in place to maintain water supply.

Paul Beaumont, Project Manager at South East Water, said: “As the reservoir heads towards its 100th birthday, we’re future-proofing the Sevenoaks water supply by replacing it with a larger structure designed to meet the town’s water needs for the next 100 years.

“Without this essential work, Sevenoaks residents could experience low tap water pressure or no water at all during times of high demand.

“The new storage reservoir will be built further away from the historic wall which separates it from nearby houses and deeper into the ground to increase its volume.

“We expect to start work in early-June and I would encourage residents to visit our website, corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/Solefields, for further information and progress updates."