As part of its largest investment in water and wastewater services in the North West, United Utilities is set to upgrade more than 925 km of water mains across the region.
In the next five years, the company is investing more than £380 m to replace water mains with new more durable, flexible pipes. In the first year alone, the company will invest more than £40 m to replace around 170 km of mains – enough to stretch from Manchester to Blackpool and back.
The company will use a range of techniques, including slip-lining where new pipe is inserted into the old pipe, to help keep disruption to a minimum. The replacement mains are expected to last for more than 100 years and are built to withstand high pressure and temperature variations to help protect against bursts and reduce leaks – both of which will play a key role in safeguarding water supplies for millions of customers across the region.
The replacement mains are expected to last for more than 100 years and are built to withstand high pressure and temperature variations to help protect against bursts and reduce leaks
As well as reducing interruptions in water supply, the project will play an important role in ensuring a resilient water network at a time when the population of the North West is expected to grow.
Grant Batty, Water Services Director at United Utilities explained: “This is an important investment. By improving our water network, we can deliver benefits to customers by reducing leakage and supply interruptions.
“During the next five years, it is expected that almost 150,000 new homes will be built across the North West, so it is more important than ever that water resources are managed responsibly.”
The programme is being delivered on a priority basis to focus initially on the areas that have experienced disruptions through water bursts and leaks.
Grant Batty added: “We know this type of work will inevitably cause some disruption, but we will be doing everything we can to keep this to a minimum. For example, we will be using trenchless techniques wherever possible to reduce disruption by tunnelling under the road to prevent the need to dig a trench across a whole street or road.
“We already know the areas we want to target in the next 12 months and will be working hard to give as much notice as possible to customers, commuters and stakeholders about work that is happening in their area.”
In the next 12 months or so, mains replacement will take place across the region with around 50 km taking place in Cheshire; 30 km in Lancashire; 15 km in Manchester and 60 km in Cumbria. Some specific mains will also be targeted in Merseyside and work will continue on the Vyrnwy Aqueduct programme, which will see around 15km of main renewed in the next year.
