Wirral, Merseyside
Start date: 2021
Duration: 1 year
Updates
We manage the local underground gas network in the North West, and we are working with the council to carry out essential improvement works to the gas pipes in Wirral.
Some of the pipes in Wirral are over 100 years old and need to be replaced so that they can continue to be used safely.
The pipes we are working on distribute gas to homes, hospitals, schools, offices and industry and help to provide the services that we need to live and work. More than 87% of Wirral’s homes rely on gas central heating to provide warmth and hot water, and these works are critical to ensure that this continues to happen safely.
What you need to know
Work to upgrade gas pipes in 2021/22 will mainly be focused in the following areas of Wirral:
- West Kirby
- Heswall
- Gayton
- Bebington
- Bromborough
- Eastham
- Saughall Massie
We are working with the council to help deliver this programme and help minimise disruption. Where possible, all works within this programme are being scheduled to avoid clashes with other planned projects and highway schemes, such as road surfacing works.
Benefits of the scheme
The replacement of pipes will not only make essential upgrades so that pipes can continue to be used safely, but will help prepare the network for clean gases, such as hydrogen, which will be essential for helping to reach the local and national targets of reducing carbon emissions to net zero.
Find out more
How the scheme will be funded
The programme of works in Wirral is part of the £50 million programme to
upgrade 485,000 metres of gas mains in the North West in the year from April 2021 to March 2022.
Timescales
We have been working through a 30-year programme of works to upgrade gas pipes and modernise the gas network in the UK and in 2021, we started the final 10 years of the project, where the most significant amount of work will need to be completed.
In Wirral, 47,658 metres of gas pipe will need to be upgraded each this year. About the same amount will be upgraded each year until the programme of works is complete.
Emergency gas works
Alongside the upgrade works, routine maintenance and repair jobs, as well as the necessary fast response work to emergencies and reports of smells of gas, will also continue to take place.
If you ever smell gas, this needs to be checked. Call 0800 111 999 immediately, day or night. Do not delay, or assume it is related to nearby works. It may not be and needs to be checked.
What to do if you are having gas works near you?
If the works are part of this major upgrade programme and you are going to be one of the properties directly impacted, we will send you information by letter several weeks before the project begins.
In some cases, we may need to switch off your gas supply but if this is needed, you will get advance notice and we will ensure that the gas is turned back on the same day. A qualified engineer will turn your supply off and back on again, and check everything is working safely.
If you need to contact Cadent about gas main upgrade work in your area: