- Work starts Monday (15th June) to replace an old gas main that runs under Blackburn Road, between Clayton-le-Moors and Rishton
- This is essential work, upgrading a pipe that helps heat thousands of local homes, schools and other buildings
- Gas supplies stay ON and road stays OPEN (with temporary traffic lights managing the flow of vehicles)
Work gets under way on Monday (15
th June) to ‘retire’ a 400-metre section of an old underground gas main that helps heat thousands of homes in East Lancashire.
The metallic pipe is reaching the end of its safe operational life and will be replaced with a tough, new plastic main
without any need to disrupt the local gas supply or enter homes.
Engineers working on behalf of gas network Cadent will dig pits in Blackburn Road and then insert the new pipe into the old one. They will then thoroughly test and commission it.
Blackburn Road stays OPEN, with traffic lights managing the flow of vehicles around the work area. The gas team aims to complete the upgrade in around nine days.
All businesses that are currently open will be able to operate as usual throughout.
This is an investment of around £60,000 in the area’s gas network.
It ensures all homes that use gas for central heating and hot water – that’s more than 80 per cent of homes in the local area – can continue to get it safely and reliably for many years to come.
Craig Horrocks, who heads Cadent’s gas mains replacement in the North West, said: “This is essential work, part of a UK-wide programme to upgrade gas mains that have now reached the end of their operational lives.
“We need to install the new main to keep gas flowing safely and reliably, so that local homes can use it for central heating, hot water and for cooking.
“We’ll be working on a section of main that runs beneath Blackburn Road, between Dunkenhalgh Way and Holt Mill Bridge. This is a busy road, but a little less so given the current situation with Covid-19. We’ve agreed with the council that this is a good time to go in – particularly as we don’t need to enter any homes to do this and we can keep gas flowing at all times.”
Letters are being sent to all properties in the immediate area of the work and road signs will be in place both in advance and during the work.
If any customers have queries about this work, contact the customer team on 0800 121 4444.
Cadent manages 80,000 miles of underground gas mains, including around 21,000 in North West England. Placed end to end, that North West amount would stretch from Blackburn to Sydney, Australia, and back again. The company is responsible for distributing gas to 2.7 million properties in the North West and also provides the region’s 24/7, 365-day, gas emergency service.
The UK Government has classed work undertaken by energy networks like Cadent as essential during the Covid-19 outbreak, as they are ensuring a safe and reliable gas supply. Engineers work to
the latest government guidance and are taking extra safety precautions as required.
Did you know?
Gas has been a feature of Blackburn’s energy landscape for over 200 years; it was one of the first towns in the UK to establish a public gas supply. Gas was originally used for street lighting and later – as now – for domestic heating, cooking and hot water. It's also used to power industrial processes, generate electricity and fuel HGVs.