While these Victorian-era pipes had a robust design which served the community well, many are now approaching the end of their life expectancy.

The project will rely almost entirely on trenchless techniques. Engineers are currently using high pressure jetting equipment to clean the sewers, before employing robots equipped with CCTV to survey the pipes and determine which sections require rehabilitation.

During the second phase of the project, the sewers will be relined, while smaller repairs will be conducted by sending robots into the sewer to insert a patch on deteriorated sections.

Sewer technician at Wessex Water Leanne Ford said sewer relining will be used because it is "significantly less disruptive than traditional methods which involve digging up the road to replace a sewer.

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“No-dig work takes significantly less time than conventional techniques. Rather than taking twelve weeks to dig down and repair 100 m of sewer, a liner can be fitted in just three days.”

These repairs form part of a five-year, £35 million program to upgrade sewers and water mains in Weymouth and Portland.

Using trenchless techniques to minimise disruption to traffic and residents will be a priority throughout the entire program, which also includes the construction of a 2,000 m water main between Sutton Poyntz and Osmington.