OLD Hall Street was closed to traffic yesterday as water pipe and gas mains works got under way.
The road will be closed between Union Street and Chapel Street for the next two weeks as United Utilities replace an old water pipe with a new plastic one.
Originally scheduled to take place in May, the works have been brought forward to coincide with National Grid carrying out gas mains improvement in the area.
The water replacement works are set to take a week, but the road will be closed for a fortnight as the gas mains work is expected take up to two weeks.
United Utilities’ project engineer, Brian Jenkins, said: “We are using state-of-the-art engineering techniques to essentially thread a stronger, more flexible pipe through an old cast-iron main.
“This main has burst on several occasions in the past – causing disruption to water supplies – so we’re delighted that we are in the position to deliver these improvements and reduce the risk of the pipe bursting in the future.”
