A £2 million sewer scheme in the heart of Accrington taking shape

30 September 2009

Around 15 houses on Wordsworth Road, near Mount Carmel High School have regularly flooded with sewerage water for years.

In July the Warrington based wastewater giant United Utilities started work to fix the problems, upgrading the existing sewer network and building a new underground storage tank to reduce flooding riskduring torrential rain and a 'one in thirty years storm'.

The next phase of the work involves open-cut excavations to replace old sewers and manhole covers at various points along Wordsworth Road and across the junction of Dunny Shop Avenue. This work will start 30th September and continue to second week of December.

Temporary road closures to Wordsworth Road, Dunny Shop Avenue and Clarence Road to let engineers work in the middle of the highway.

Spokesperson Shaun Robinson said: "We anticipate this phase of highway work will be the most disruptive to local residents, as we will need to close off roads for health and safety reasons. We are planning for limited vehicle entry to sections of the road for resident's access, and we thank everyone for their co-operation and patience. Our aim is to get roads open running up to Christmas."

Specialist engineers have already started working on the huge 30-metre emergency underground storage tank in the grounds of Mount Carmel School. Work is due to continue for 8-weeks, United Utilities said they have limited site traffic at the start and end of school days to prevent blocking roads near the school.

When the tank is finished, it will be capable of holding 600 cubic metres of sewerage water giving support to the local sewer network to cope under pressure when the heavens open, stopping it flooding houses on Wordsworth Road.

Bosses at the utility firm stressed today that no engineers need to gain access to residents' properties during the works, asking residents to check the identity of everyone calling at their home claiming to be from the water board. /ends