The machine will excavate a tunnel to house 1.5m-diameter pipes that will form part of the market town’s new sewer network.
This first drive involves digging under Stroudwater Canal and Painswick Stream. The 7.3m-long TBM is due to complete tunnelling in August.
The machine has been named Florence after the baby girl of Severn Trent community communications officer Shannon Currall who has worked closely on the project.
The sewer upgrade involves installing 3.2km of new pipes, upgrading many of the old Victorian sewers in the town, as well as removing the existing large sewer pipe that runs through the canal channel in Stroud.
Janine Billington of water company Severn Trent said the project was one of the biggest investments the company was making in the area.
“By using state-of-the-art equipment like Florence, we’re able to significantly reduce the disruption caused to customers and get vital work such as this done quickly and safely. We’re looking forward to seeing Florence work her magic over the coming weeks,” she said.
