Major engineering work starts Friday (23 July) to upgrade a ‘governor’ that helps safely deliver gas to thousands of homes near Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium.
Cadent, which manages the North West’s 21,000-mile underground gas distribution network, will be working in Lower Breck Road, near the Rocky Lane junction.
This has been deliberately scheduled to a window that minimises disruption – with schools finished for summer and before the new football season starts.
Cadent is upgrading a governor – equipment beside the road which manages gas pressures – as part of its £800m, five-year North West investment programme.
This investment ensures safety and reliability of gas distribution.
Modernising the network like this also helps get it ready for the introduction of hydrogen, which is essential to local and national targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions [hydrogen emits zero carbon at point of use].
Starting on Friday, the Cadent teams will work on the gas assets ‘live’ – which means gas stays on throughout, so no-one should lose supply.
Lower Breck Road will be closed at its junction with Rocky Lane – motorists will not be able to turn off Rocky Lane onto Lower Breck Road, or vice-versa. A short diversion will be signposted.
This work is expected to take up to three weeks, so finished before nearby Liverpool FC’s first home game of the new season.
Nick Jerman, Cadent’s Customer Operations Area Manager for Merseyside, said: “This is essential work in a challenging location – both for traffic reasons and, as it’s in a residential area, we want to make sure we keep everyone safe while major engineering takes place.
“We’ve worked with Liverpool City Council to agree a window that falls after schools finish and before the new football season starts. We know it’s not ideal to close a road and hope people appreciate we’ve tried hard to minimise the disruption.
“Safety is always our top priority, as well as finding ways to minimise impact.”
If you smell gas during this work, nearby or anywhere, always ring the national gas emergency service immediately, day or night, on 0800 111 999*. Do not delay, or assume it’s related to this work. It may not be and must be checked.
Cadent in the North West
Cadent operates four of the UK’s eight gas distribution networks – North West England, West Midlands, Eastern England and North London.
Its North West network stretches from the Lake District to Crewe and is home to 21,000 miles of distribution pipes (most of them underground) and hundreds of above ground installations. If placed end to end, that amount of pipes would stretch from Liverpool to Sydney, Australia, and back again.
Around £800m will be invested in the North West’s gas network over the next five years. This will maintain safe, secure supplies to homes, hospitals, schools, offices and other sites, as well as support the UK journey to net zero carbon emissions.
Backed by Cadent and many partners, the North West region is set to lead the way in a major shift from fossil gases to hydrogen. Producing only heat and water at point of use, hydrogen is key to the UK’s net zero future and is set to be introduced at volume in the North West during the 2020s (see
www.hynet.co.uk).