SES Water announces major investment to improve water resilience in Box Hill

4th December 2025

SES Water has confirmed a £600,000 project to strengthen water resilience for customers in Box Hill and the surrounding area.

Investigations carried out over the past year found the roof structure of the Betchworth Tower freshwater storage tank needed significant structural repairs.

Customers’ supplies have been redirected from Headley Pumping Station as a temporary measure while repairs to Betchworth have been fully planned.

£600,000 upgrade commissioned in January

SES Water has now commissioned the full repair and reinstatement of Betchworth Tower, representing an investment of around £600,000. Work will begin in January 2026 and will focus on repairing the tank’s roof structure, replacing the external covering on the roof, and restoring critical storage capacity for the area. It’s hoped the repairs will be complete in April 2026.

Steps already taken to reduce outages

Ahead of the permanent solution being completed, SES Water has introduced several interim measures to help minimise disruption.
Some customers have experienced very short periods of low pressure or loss of supply because of outages from the energy supplier which affect the pumps at Headley.

As a result, SES Water has:

Reconfigured the local network so Headley pumping station can supply customers previously fed from Betchworth Tower.
Adapted the control system so pumps can be reset remotely, reducing the time needed to restore water following electricity failures.
Introduced additional generator capability to keep pumps operating during power cuts.


Pete Harris, SES Water’s Head of Production, said: “This major investment will restore essential storage capacity and strengthen the network for the future. Our teams will continue working hard, throughout the winter, to deliver the upgrades and keep customers updated as work progresses.

“Plans are underway to hold a community drop-in event where we will welcome residents to talk to us about the project in more detail and ask questions.”

For a video explaining the work to take place at Betchworth Tower, please visit YouTube.