Villagers in Cornwall angry over four months of waterworks

Villagers in Cornwall who have endured more than four months of work to install a major pipeline say they are fed up of closures, churned-up "filth" and being treated with "contempt".

The South West Water (SWW) pipeline is due to run from Blackpool Pit to Lanivet, and then on to Colliford Lake.

People in Tremodrett said they had been told the works would take three weeks.

SWW said work had been delayed by pipe issues and it aimed to finish "quickly as possible" and keep people informed.

Villager Shirley Cook said the work had meant "filth on the road" and potholes.

She said: "You can't just pop up to the village [of nearby Roche] any more; it's a 15 to 20-minute drive for a simple pop to the shop for a pint of milk.

"Yes, we live in the countryside; you expect mud and tractors and everything. But they've more or less doubled the amount of tractors and traffic and vehicles up and down the lanes."

Fellow villager John Wood said the work had been going on since the end of June and workers were "nowhere near" to resurfacing roads.

He said he had experienced "extreme difficulty" in getting answers because sub-contractors were carrying out the work.

Another villager added: "I think what hurts more than anything is there's been no official communication with residents."

SWW said the new strategic water main would "support the recharge of Colliford reservoir".

It said: "Completion of this section of work was delayed due to issues with the construction of the pipe, but we aim to complete this as quickly as possible and will continue to keep local customers updated on our progress.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and we thank customers for their patience while we complete this important work."

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