VILLAGERS in Sixpenny Handley will find themselves at the centre of a major water alert later this month - but it won't be for real.

Bournemouth and West Hants Water is carrying out an emergency exercise on Thursday, October 21 to test procedures in the event of a major breakdown in supplies.

Emergency portable storage tanks will be delivered within 200m of homes at spots throughout the village which will then be filled with water.

The exercise is expected to last up to 24 hours and special provision will be made for certain types of premises such as farms and schools.

Bournemouth and West Hants Water managing director Tony Cooke said: "Events that could lead to failure might include the serious breakdown of a local pumping plant or the burst of a key water main, possibly in a location where it is difficult to repair quickly.

"It must be made clear that the company is not aware of any circumstances in Sixpenny Handley that might lead to failure in the near future."

The village had been chosen as it was a mix of urban and rural with around 1,000 properties, he said.

Mr Cooke added there would be no interruption to the normal water supply and as little inconvenience as possible to residents.

"Although we have stacks of equipment to use in an emergency, it's important to test whether our arrangements for deploying such equipment would work in a real situation," he said.

"The likelihood of our needing to do this for real is very small."

The company has been in close liaison with the parish council over the exercise and chairman Cllr Pauline Bailey-Wright said locals were supportive of the idea.

"The company has explained everything to us very well and we are glad to be able to help," she added.

First published: Oct 6