Bury: essential work under way to fix leak on gas main

Emergency work to locate and fix a leak on an underground gas main is under way in Bury today.
 
Cadent, which manages the town’s gas network, suspects the source of the leak is somewhere on an 18-inch diameter pipe that runs underneath a busy junction where Bell Lane meets Wash Lane.
 
Engineers have checked surrounding buildings and are regularly monitoring for any rise in gas readings. They are content that everything is safely under control and that there is no need to evacuate any buildings. There is no interruption to local gas supplies.
 
However, the leak does need finding and fixing quickly.
 
The teams are initially using keyhole technology – which can take days off the required work if it is successful in finding the source. But they cannot rule out needing to make a large excavation, if required. This will be determined in the next day or so.
 
The teams are taking up two lanes of Bell Lane – a right-turn lane (into Brook Street) and the lane adjacent to it. This means only one through lane is open, so traffic may build up in that area.
 
“This is essential work, on a pipe that runs right under this busy junction,” said a spokesman for Cadent. “Our priority is to keep everyone safe and we will work as fast as we safely can to get the job done. Please be patient and give yourself extra time if you normally use this junction.”
 
Cadent manages the 21,000 miles of gas mains that run under North West England.
 
These carry gas safely to 2.7 million properties – from homes and hospitals, to schools, workplaces, industrial sites and HGV fuelling stations. That amount of pipes, if placed end to end, would run from Bury to Sydney, Australia, and back again.
 
Working from 14 depots from Kendal to Crewe, including bases in Rochdale, Hollinwood and Bolton, Cadent also provides the North West’s 24/7, 365-day gas emergency service.
 
*If you smell gas, report it immediately to the national gas emergency number 0800 111 999. Don’t think it’s related to any nearby ongoing work and don’t think someone else will do it. It may not be related, and we’d want to check. Calls to this number are recorded and may be monitored.