Water mains work starts on A590 at Staveley

27 August 2010

The days are numbered for a leaky water main on Cumbria's A590.

Engineers working for United Utilities are getting ready to replace more than a kilometre of pipe near Newby Bridge.

Work starts on the westbound carriageway at Fiddler Hall on Tuesday (August 31) and is expected to take up to five weeks. Two-way traffic lights will be in place but these will be manned at peak times to try to ease the strain on motorists.

The pipe, which supplies hundreds of customers with drinking water, has been earmarked for renewal as part of the company's bid to cut back on leaks.

The water company is planning to spend some £200m reducing leaks over the next five years.

Project manager Peter Dalton explained: "This is essential work. We know it will be frustrating for drivers but the traffic lights are there for their safety and ours. To reduce the time it takes we will be using a technique called pipe bursting. This is where we insert a special tool inside the existing main to burst out the old pipe and drag the new one in behind it. It saves a lot of digging."

Once work in the A590 is complete a further 500m of pipe in agricultural land will be replaced. This could take a further two weeks but will not affect the roadway.

Water supplies to customers will be maintained throughout the work.

"Our new pipe will be made of tough new plastic which will put an end to the sorts of leaks and bursts which has caused traffic problems in the past. It goes without saying that peoples' water supplies will be much more reliable too," added Peter.