South West Water has carried out a major upgrade to the main sewer in Modbury, which it says will make sure the village’s wastewater network is fit for the future.

The £730,000 work, part of an investment programme to upgrade and future proof sewers across the south west, began in January to avoid disrupting the village during the festive period.

Modbury’s main sewer needed upgrading due to its age and now benefits from new lining which was installed using new innovative technology. This uses a robot and ultraviolet light to seal the liner into place within the pipe – a method expected to maintain its condition for decades.

Many road users on one of the main routes through the district will have been caught up in the improvements.

And South West Water is warning it will need to complete one night of associated work with traffic lights on Church Street in the next few weeks, as this was delayed by wet weather.

Two days of similar work will also be carried out near the Exeter Inn during the summer to repair a small section of pipe.

The work will increase resilience and reduce the risks of environmental impact in Modbury and to nearby watercourses.

James Hunt, Project Manager for South West Water, said: “We want to thank local residents for their patience and understanding while we carried out this essential work. “We appreciate it’s been an inconvenience, but we have tried to minimise disruption as much as possible. We’re confident these improvements will be long-lasting which we know is important to the community in Modbury.”

Before work started, South West Water spent time with residents and businesses to explain the processes for the upgrade and listened to feedback from locals to reduce the impact to homes and businesses as much as possible.