United Utilities is nearing completion on a massive £7 million engineering project taking place deep underground  to boost water supplies in parts of Cheshire and Merseyside.

The water company has been installing a new water pipeline from the River Dee to its new £10 million pumping station in Heronbridge.

Engineers from United Utilities have been using the latest available technology in the water industry to pass under the busy A483 road in Chester using the largest available plastic water pipe that can be drilled with.

Project Manager Daniel Smith said it was vital to use the latest technology available to drill under a road such as the A483 without having to dig in the road.

“While the new pipeline will mean we can continue to meet the water supply demands of around 350,000 homes and businesses, we completely understand roadworks can be a pain."

“Our aim was to get the new pipeline in, without many commuters even realising a massive engineering project was taking place deep underground.”

The new pipeline is now installed, with only work to restore land impacted by the project left to complete.