Old mains that burst about 500 times in under a decade are worth replacing, and a few months of inconvenience is a fair price.
From Monday 2 November, roads around Shooters Hill will start closing and buses will be diverted while Thames Water replaces about 7.3km of water mains. The works run until June 2028, which is the better part of two years of disruption on the south-eastern edge of Blackheath Standard and Kidbrooke.
Royal Greenwich Council announced the programme on 9 October. It talks of the "wider Shooters Hill area" and names no streets, bus routes or maps.
Cllr Calum O'Byrne Mulligan, who looks after transport and streets for the council, said the works "can't take place safely without road closures and bus diversions across the Shooters Hill area". The council accepts there will be "short-term pain" and says it has long campaigned for the work.
Why the mains are going
The council says there have been roughly 500 bursts on Thames Water's mains in the area since 2017, along with 737 property hours of interrupted water supply for local people. Thames Water says similar works in Camden cut leaks and bursts significantly. That is the company's claim, passed on by the council.
How it will work
The work will be staggered and done in phases. Households on affected roads will get letters nearer the time. Diversions will be advertised on signs, on the Transport for London website, in the TfL Journey Planner and on the TfL Go app. The council says it has coordinated with other utilities and with TfL's bus teams.
Works pause for two weeks over Christmas so roads can reopen. Thames Water will grit its active sites in winter and the council will grit elsewhere. Home care visits and bin collections are due to carry on.
What to do now
Thames Water is holding a drop-in session on Wednesday 21 October, from 4pm to 7pm, at Shrewsbury House Community Centre on Bushmoor Crescent in Shooters Hill.
Mains that have burst about 500 times in under a decade are worth replacing, and the disruption is a fair price for that. But nearly two years is long enough that people need to know which roads shut first and which buses move. If you drive or take a bus between the Standard, Kidbrooke and Shooters Hill, take that question to the drop-in. The council and Thames Water should also say whether the works reach the Blackheath side.
- Works run from Monday 2 November 2026 until June 2028 across the wider Shooters Hill area.
- Thames Water plans to replace roughly 7.3km of water mains.
- The council cites roughly 500 bursts since 2017 and 737 property hours of interrupted supply.
- Road closures and bus diversions are confirmed; no streets or routes are named.
- Works pause for two weeks over Christmas.
- Drop-in session: Wednesday 21 October, 4pm to 7pm, Shrewsbury House Community Centre, Bushmoor Crescent, SE18 3EG.
- Diversions will be published on the TfL website, Journey Planner and TfL Go app.
Every factual claim in this story is linked to the evidence behind it. Where the newsroom has added judgement or framing, it is listed separately. Sources accessed 9 October 2026.
- Thames Water mains replacements for Shooters Hill area, Royal Greenwich (council)
- Disruption due to SGN works on Shooters Hill this summer, Royal Greenwich (council)
Claim by claim (11 facts, 6 editorial judgements)
- Works run from Monday 2 November 2026 until June 2028 across the wider Shooters Hill area, with road closures and disruption. — council, 2026-10-09“From Monday 2 November until June 2028, the wider Shooters Hill area will be subject to road closures and disruption due to a large programme of Thames Water works and repairs”
- Thames Water plans to replace roughly 7.3km of water mains. — council, 2026-10-09“In total, Thames Water plan to replace roughly 7.3km of water mains as part of this project.”
- Since 2017 there have been roughly 500 bursts and 737 property hours of interrupted supply. — council, 2026-10-09“Since 2017 alone, there have been roughly 500 bursts on Thames Water's network of mains in the area, as well as 737 property hours of interrupted water supply for local people.”
- Cllr Calum O'Byrne Mulligan (Transport, Climate Change, Waste and Streets) said works can't take place safely without closures and diversions. — council, 2026-10-09“the works can't take place safely without road closures and bus diversions across the Shooters Hill area”
- Works are staggered in phases, residents get letters nearer the time, and works pause for two weeks over Christmas. — council, 2026-10-09“Works pause for two weeks over Christmas so roads can reopen; residents on affected roads will get letters nearer the time (per council page)”
- Diversions will be advertised via signage, TfL website, Journey Planner and TfL Go app; council coordinated with utilities and TfL buses. — council, 2026-10-09“Diversions will be advertised through signage, on the TfL website, the TfL Journey Planner and the TfL Go app.”
- Thames Water grits its active sites; council grits elsewhere; home care and waste collection continue. — council, 2026-10-09“Thames Water will be responsible for winter gritting on its active sites; the council will grit elsewhere.”
- Thames Water says similar works in Camden significantly cut leaks and bursts. — council, 2026-10-09“Thames Water says similar works in Camden cut leaks and bursts significantly (relayed by council)”
- Drop-in session Wednesday 21 October, 4pm to 7pm, Shrewsbury House Community Centre, Bushmoor Crescent, Shooters Hill, SE18 3EG. — council, 2026-10-09“Drop-in session on Wednesday 21 October, 4pm to 7pm, at Shrewsbury House Community Centre, Bushmoor Crescent, Shooters Hill, SE18 3EG”
- The council has long campaigned for the works and concedes short-term pain. — council, 2026-10-09“short-term pain”
- Earlier SGN gas works took place on Shooters Hill this summer. — council, 2026-10-09“Disruption due to SGN works on Shooters Hill this summer”
- Judgement: The council has told people disruption is coming but not where; no streets or routes are named.
- Judgement: The works affect the south-eastern edge of Blackheath Standard and Kidbrooke (geographical framing; the source names only the wider Shooters Hill area).
- Judgement: Old mains that burst about 500 times in under a decade are worth replacing; the disruption is a fair price.
- Judgement: Nineteen months is long enough that people need to know which roads shut first and which buses move.
- Judgement: The fix is overdue.
- Judgement: The better part of two years of disruption.
