Ashford Water Treatment Works — Concrete Repairs
Introduction
Wessex Water's Ashford Water Treatment Works (WTW), near Cannington in Somerset, is one of the utility's flagship facilities, incorporating an on-site education centre regularly visited by local school groups. Aggressive chemical exposure from the treatment process had caused significant deterioration of the reinforced concrete tanks, with up to 20mm of concrete loss in some areas, requiring a durable, long-term repair solution.
Our Solution
UCL Ltd collaborated with Flexcrete to deliver a comprehensive concrete repair and protection system designed to exceed a 20-year service life before first maintenance. High-pressure water jetting was carried out across all 3,600m² of concrete surface to remove weak and contaminated material, with damaged areas reinstated using suitable repair mortars. The slab was then cleaned and primed with Flexcrete Polymer Admixture 850 to eliminate outgassing risk, before receiving full-surface protection using two 1mm spray-applied coats of Flexcrete Cementitious Coating 851 — a Regulation 31(4)(a) approved, CE marked system providing an alkaline, waterborne barrier resistant to acid gases, chlorides and moisture.
Key Benefits
- Arrested further concrete degradation caused by chemical attack
- Proven coating system with a 20+ year design life
- Non-toxic and safe for use in potable water environments
- Resistant to positive and negative pressure up to 100m head
- 2mm coating provides equivalent protection to 100mm of good concrete
- Backed by over 24 years of independent chloride resistance testing
Conclusion
This large-scale refurbishment at Ashford WTW fully reinstated the structural integrity and chemical resistance of the site's concrete infrastructure. UCL Ltd's partnership with Flexcrete delivered a technically advanced, long-term protective system aligned with Wessex Water's high operational standards.
