A TWO year long £5m scheme will see the replacement of nearly nine miles of Victorian water mains.

Thames Water will begin the work on roads around Plumstead station next month, including the High Street, Walmer Terrace and Conway Road.

The current cast-iron pipes will be replaced with tough new plastic ones less prone to leaks and bursts.

Thames Water’s project manager Andrew Baines, said: “Ideally we wouldn’t have to do this work, but London’s water pipes are old, leaky and need replacing.

“Unfortunately, as with any work on this scale, there will be inevitable disruption, for which we apologise, but we will do everything we can to minimise it.”

Thames Water customers can report burst and leaking pipes via its free 24-hour Leakline, 0800 714 614, or its Twitter profile, @thameswater.