Thames Water Road Closure Extended Again!

A Reading road closure has been extended for a third time as Thames Water carries on with repairs at the Bennet Road/A33 junction in Whitley.

The junction has been shut since October 18 last year. Itlinks the A33 and Basingstoke Road; access from Basingstoke Road has been kept for staff and customers. The road is home to the Reading Borough Council depot and the Church of Pentecost UK.

Adam Quanstrom said: "So Thames Water has extended the road closure on Bennet Road for the third time until May 15.

"I had a conversation with Thames Water after getting through to customer service via a difficult bot, which wasn’t helpful, and I was also promised a callback, but got absolutely nothing.

"Typical Thames Water, I wouldn’t be at all surprised with their lack of transparency and their constant lies all the time.

"The first time I was told it was going to be done on December 14, 2025, but it was delayed, then it was bumped to March 15 due to complex ground investigations that they’ve discovered that the soil was highly unstable and needed specialist engineering.

"However, there was another extension that was bumped up to April 25 because of a utility cable that needed to be diverted to continue the repairs safely, then, unsurprisingly, it was extended to May 15 this year!

" It’s unbelievable, there is no transparency, customer service weren’t very transparent with it, they kept giving excuses and dodging questions, this is a road on a industrial estate which houses Speedy Hire, Renault Trucks, Reading Council Depots, Gap Hire, Dulux and Jaguar Land Rover, it’s completely uncoordinated and absolutely unacceptable.

A Thames Water spokesperson disputed wording about the ‘reopening’, saying the Causeway One Network lists the permit dates set by the council.

The spokesperson said: "We apologise for the closure at Bennet Road. This remains an extremely complex repair with ongoing issues, although our team is making progress.

"In addition to the main repair itself and the issue of a high voltage utility cable that had to be diverted, the site has challenging ground conditions and high groundwater levels that has caused further complications.

"While Thames Water appreciates there is frustration over the time being taken to complete this repair, the health and safety for the local community, businesses and our staff, as well as ensuring the long-term safety and stability of the road, must remain our priorities.

"We will continue to work with stakeholders and look to update the local community and businesses as soon as practicable."

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter