We're constantly working to improve the supply and quality of your water so you continue to receive clean, fresh water for your morning shower and to enjoy a great cuppa.

Some of the pipes which supply water to almost 43,000 properties in the Carlisle area are over 90 years old. Over time natural minerals settle at the bottom of the pipe and this can cause water to become discoloured.

In February 2016 we started a £14 million investment programme to clean and refurbish over 32km of water pipes to improve the quality of water for customers in the Carlisle area. We're nearing completion of this project and would like to thank residents, businesses and road users for your patience.  The overview map indicates where we'll be working (PDF 477 KB opens in a new window).

We're now carrying out work to clean the smaller pipe network, so we can remove any build up of the natural minerals.  This work is usually carried out at night when there is less demand for water. 

Before we start the work in your area we'll send a card to let you know when this work will begin. Don't worry, you wouldn't be affected for the entire duration as the team will be moving through in stages to clean the pipes in your area.   You can find further information about our pipe cleaning here.

This work can be disruptive and we appreciate your patience as we work to improve the water network in Carlisle, ensuring customers can receive a reliable and high quality water supply for many years to come.

During our work there is a possibility that you may experience a slight discolouration to your water supply.  We'll do all we can to prevent this from happening.

To ensure we keep taps flowing to homes and businesses, the water will be re-routed and flow direction changed within the pipe network.  This can disturb the sediment, and result in some temporary short term discolouration which we understand can look unpleasant and tends to be more noticeable when filling a glass or running a bath.

Discoloured water is unlikely to be harmful and we have advice and simple steps to help it clear.

We understand that roadworks are inconvenient and our teams will always try to minimise any disruption.  Most of our work in the road is now complete and our current working areas are predominantly located in fields or footpaths.

You can find further information about any traffic management that we may need to have in place.

Thank you for bearing with us while we carry out our work. If you have any queries please call us on 0345 672 3723 quoting project number AMEY U.80018815. We'll be happy to help.

We're in the final stages of our water pipe replacement project

Thanks for your patience, we still have a little further work to complete project 6 which involves replacing sections of the water pipe from Victoria Place through to Bridge Street.

We're also cleaning the smaller pipe network across various areas of the city and replacing a section of water pipe on Broad Street. Further information is available on our pipe cleaning programme here.