SOUTH West Water’s multi-million pound scheme to improve water quality will involve the complete destruction of the town’s crazy golf.

Owner Robert Phipps confirmed the water company will need to totally rip up his business and take over the seafront site by July.

While he has been told he will be compensated and that the attraction will be replaced as good as if not better than it is currently, Mr Phipps says the same may not be the case for other businesses in the town.

He said: ‘They are completely ripping up the site and nothing will be left.

‘They need control of the site by mid July and I will have to close a few weeks before that.’

But he has been told SWW will be paying to reinstate a new crazy golf.

He said: ‘They will compensate for loss of earnings but I will lose a complete summer.

‘We had thought out was going to be after the summer season in September but it was brought forward.

‘SWW have a timeframe to complete this by Ofwat and will be fined if they do not finish, the new pumping station has to be operational by March.’

Mr Phipps opened the attraction, which features large animal sculptures including a gorilla, in 2018.

Now he faces the whole set up being out of action for a year.

He said: ‘There’s nothing I can do about it and I think, in the long run, I am going to be OK.

‘But I feel sorry for other traders because there is going to be a lot of disruption in Dawlish.

‘I will be closed for at least 12 months but I am going to be 100 per cent compensated, I am resigned to that.’

Work has already begun on the major scheme which is expected to take at least a year to complete.

Mr Phipps, who runs two other businesses in Teignmouth, said: ‘We need to see the good that can come out of this, doom and gloom can be contagious.’

A spokesman for SWW said: ‘We’re talking to the landlord and lessee of the site about the potential impact and compensation for both parties.

‘The whole site will be affected but no definitive start date has been agreed yet.’

SWW eventually started work on the multi-million pound scheme last month with engineers working on the Lawn, diverting existing pipework as part of preparations for the wider scheme.

The scheme is aimed at reducing the use of storm overflows in Dawlish, helping to improve water quality in local rivers and the sea.

This will mean more waste water can be stored at times of heavy rainfall, then treated, reducing the reliance on storm overflows in Dawlish.

Engineers have been in action across large parts of the town’s green space for the last few months.

The scheme is aimed at tackling problems of insufficient capacity in Dawlish due to rapid growth with additional homes being built along with climate change, creating more pressure on the system.

The scheme is part of SWW’s five-year investment programme.