New Forest road to close after burst water pipe

Pound Lane, near to the Burbush car park between Burley to Bransgore closed on February 17 and will remain so for “up to one week”.

The closure will allow Bournemouth Water engineers to fix a burst waterpipe which is affecting the bridge structure.

And motorists will have to travel north on Ringwood Road, to Crowe Hill, west to Christchurch Road (B3347), south to Burley Road, then east to the closure.

New Forest District Council ward councillor for Bransgore, Richard Frampton, blamed HGV drivers ‘following their satnav’ for the sinking of the road.

The route is currently being used by drivers who would normally travel along on the A35, which is closed while engineers replace a bridge at Holmsley.

Cllr Frampton said a “void” had now been created underneath the burst waterpipe due to sand being washed away.

He said: “I was there with two highways engineers, and I was actually slowing the traffic down because they couldn’t see the ramp.

“It’s caused by large HGVs that should not be coming down that road. HGV drivers coming off the A31 and A35, following their satnav onto that road and ignoring the signs.

“The reason it has been sinking is because the heavy HGVs have broken a cast iron water pipe.

“I don’t know how long it will take to fix it and the question remains what we do with the void underneath it.”

Cllr Frampton said Bournemouth Water was working to fix the pipe while he had contacted police asking them to take action on HGV drivers.

He added he had observed a “40 tonne truck” using the bridge and the road “actually moving”.

“All I can do is alert people to the severity,” he continued. “It’s in the hands of Bournemouth Water at the moment and I wish them God speed.”

With the A35 closed due to the Holmsley bridge replacement, Cllr Frampton said the works would cause “chaos” in Burley.

He said: “The one positive is Bransgore will be a lot quieter. When you think of the A35 closure it will cause absolute chaos in Burley.

“That’s where we are with it at the moment. It is down to the fact HGV drivers have been through too heavy.”

A Bournemouth Water spokesperson said: “Our team is on site carrying out a repair to a burst main on Pound Lane, near Burley.

"To ensure the fix can be completed safely, a section of Pound Lane has been temporarily closed and a diversion will be in place.

"We understand that this may cause some inconvenience for customers and we would like to thank them for their patience and understanding while we work to complete the repair as quickly as possible.

"We will look to reinstate and reopen the road by tomorrow morning.”