Welsh Water has announced that it will invest £21 million to improve the supply of drinking water in west Wales.

As many parts of the water network in the area are coming to the end of their functional lives, the investment is a significant one which will see over 174km of water mains in the area replaced or cleaned in the next two year period.

Among the first regions to receive investment will be Hermon, where more than £500,000 will be spent on upgrades to the water network, with a further £600,000 to be invested in the Eglwyswrw drinking water network. Another £650,000 is also set to be spent in the Pont-sian area in Ceredigion.

The company’s widespread investment in the area will also see the replacement of over 5km of the drinking water trunk main in Cilgerran and Llechyrd.

At the end of last year, Welsh Water experienced a burst on the network in Llechryd which left customers without water for a period.

To reduce the risk of such supply disruption in the future, Welsh Water has invested £5 million to replace this strategic trunk main.

This investment came as well as the £16 million already planned on improving the quality and resilience of the water supply throughout the region.

Ian Christie, Welsh Water Managing Director of Water Services, commented: “With some parts of the water network laid over a century ago, the time has come for us to undertake some essential work to cleanse the pipes or where needed replace whole sections.

“We are committed to providing customers with a first class supply and our work here, including the replacement of the Llechryd main after the recent burst, reflects this.

Christie added that the company understands that such a major refurbishment may cause short term disruption, but he believes the long term benefits include reduced leaks, less interruptions to supply and high quality drinking water for the whole community for decades to come.