ANGLIAN Water plans to invest more than £4million in improving their services in Colchester including replacing part of a water main which burst last year.

Close to £500,000 will be put into managing water pressure in the town’s pipes more effectively, including replacing three sections of pipe close to the Southway roundabout.

Motorists faced a week of misery in October when a water main near the roundabout burst, causing a 3ft fountain of water.

The roundabout, which links Lexden Road, Maldon Road, Balkerne Hill and Southway, was closed for more than ten hours on the first day of problems because of the flooding.

It was then down to single lane access until the following Friday while engineers carried on their work which caused congestion throughout the week.

A water main burst in the same place in November 2012 causing the basements of surrounding homes to flood.

The work means pipes will be 60 per cent less likely to burst than before.

There will also be a £3.8 million investment into Colchester Water Recycling Centre on Haven Road which produces heat and electricity by treating sewage sludge.

The investment is part of a £444 million plan for the East of England which will be paid for by an increase in bills which works out to a total of £411 per year.

The company had dropped prices last year by an average of £29, so costs are still lower than three years ago.

Martyn Oakley, Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Information Services, said: “Bills are back down to what they were three years ago thanks to the reductions we’ve made and the top priority we place on being efficient and offering value for money.

“We’re keeping costs as low as possible for the long term while investing heavily in the region in line with customer priorities.”