United Utilities is about to start work on massive £13 million project to clean and upgrade one of the North West’s largest water pipes which runs from Westby right into Blackpool.
Tap water for nearly 50,000 homes and businesses in Blackpool, Lytham and St Annes their comes from the Lytham pipeline which weaves its way under fields and criss-crosses roads for a distance of over 16km.
A United Utilities spokesman said:
“Our tap water in Blackpool and the surrounding areas has always been of a very high quality and purity. But on occasions we have had incidents of discoloured water. This upgrade work on one of our most important pipelines will mean that local families and businesses can tap into even better water."
The massive pipeline will be taken out of service for the first time since 1920. United Utilities engineers will be working to ensure that taps keep flowing in the area while they clean and carry out maintenance work on the pipe.
The company spokesman added:
“Taking out a pipe which provides so many homes and businesses with water every single day is a massive engineering challenge.”
“But we want to reassure our customers we’ve been planning this work for a long time. Our preparation work will even involve us laying a new section of water pipe to make sure nobody notices any change in the service they receive.”
Preparation work will begin in November, before the pipe is temporarily switched off next year. Engineers will continue to have a presence in Blackpool, Lytham and St Annes area for the next three years.
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