A SURVEY of more than 100 sewers in Henley is to be carried out by Thames Water, starting next week.

Engineers will use CCTV cameras to inspect the tunnels and will clear any blockages they find using a jet flush.

The work is expected to take six weeks, beginning at 8am on Monday in Hart Street.

Sewers in Friday Street, Thames Side and New Street are among those which will be surveyed. Some work is expected to be carried out at night in order to minimise disruption to traffic.

Leaflets have been delivered to homes which may be affected and a stall will be stationed in Market Place from 10am to 4pm every Wednesday to answer queries from the public.

A Thames Water spokeswoman said: “Once we have finished we will have a complete up-to-date overview of everything underground and can take a more long-term view of whether there are any issues we need to fix.

“We expect this to take around six weeks, although obviously we never know what we will find until we start digging. We’re sorry for any disruption this may cause and would like to thank customers in advance for their patience.”

The company says it is investing £346 million to reduce the likelihood of sewer flooding by 2015.

Commons causes of sewer flooding are population growth, paving over green spaces and disposal of fat, oil and grease.

A change in the law which came into force last year means Thames Water is now responsible for private sewers as well as public ones.

For more information, call the Thames Water helpline on 0845 9200 800, quoting reference number 966800.

* The pavement near New News and the Henley Angling Centre in Reading Road is currently out of use while repairs take place.

Published 12/10/12