Eastern Road, one of the main roads in and out of the port city of Portsmouth, remains closed due to a burst sewer, which is being repaired by Southern Water.
A major road into and out of Portsmouth is closed while works are carried out to repair a burst sewer, causing traffic chaos. On Thursday 3 January, one lane of East Road was closed while workers worked to repair the damage caused by the burst sewer main.
Southern Water then declared that the Southbound Carriageway (from the roundabout to Anchorage Road) would be re-closed from 8pm (midnight) Friday 5 January to this afternoon (midnight) on Tuesday 9 January.
The road is one of the main entry points into the city. It has also been closed a number of times in the past due to similar problems that the water company had to repair.
Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for transport, Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: “It’s a real shame that, after years of poor investment by Southern Water, the sewers appear to be failing and bursting, putting local people in real danger.”
Hampshire County Council’s Traffic & Travel (formerly ROMANSE) have reported delays of around 60 minutes on London Rd from Rockville Drive / Maurepas Way to A27 / M27 Portsbridge RTB this morning. East Road southbound is closed at this time. Earlier this morning, the traffic monitoring system had reported delays of about 60 minutes on the southbound A3M from the A3 Mill to the Havant Bypass due to the closure of East Road southbound.
Southern Water has advised people who are planning to travel to Portsmouth to plan ahead and give themselves extra time. They have announced that the bridge will be closed from 8pm on Friday 5 January until the afternoon of Tuesday 9 January. This is because of a sewer burst that occurred north of the bridge on Wednesday 3 January. Our teams are in place and the tankers have been sent to help clear away the remaining water and prevent any flooding.
Due to the current traffic situation, we advise all travellers to Portsmouth to plan ahead and allow a few extra hours. Follow Portsmouth City Council’s official Twitter handle ‘PortsmouthRoads’ for the most up-to-date traffic information.
The water company said at the time in an interview with National World’s sister newspaper, The News, in Portsmouth that the bursts were “very common” and that they had apologised to the local community for the sewer issues on a number of occasions.