WATER utility company United Utilities last night said it plans to dig up a key city centre road in March despite warnings the disruption could cause the collapse of famous Liverpool store Lewis’s.

The department store said the disruption caused by the city’s £73m “Big Dig” when Renshaw Street was dug up in 2006 had driven it to the brink of collapse, and it was now facing being “pushed over the edge” once more.

United Utilities plan to close Renshaw Street to incoming city-bound traffic, including buses, as part of works to replace water mains between March and May.

The 153-year-old business had to be rescued from administration in 2007, and 18-months later the firm says it is still recovering.

Last night a city council spokesman said the work had to be done by 2010 for United Utilities to hit improvement targets.

He said the council was working with United Utilities to minimise disruption, and had asked for work to take place seven-days-a-week to get the work done as quickly as possible.

Managing director David Thompson said: “Over a period of eleven months during 2006 we suffered everything from damage to windows and flooding in entrances to clouds of dirt and dust covering everything from our store signage to entrance carpets during the Big Dig.

“However, for Lewis’s the most devastating part of it was the dramatic decrease in footfall. When customers cannot access your store, as we know from bitter experience, it is a recipe for disaster.