Sewer improvements over the next few years in Lancaster should ensure cleaner bathing water in Morecambe and Heysham, says waste water company United Utilities.

The North West waste water company are upgrading the sewers in the region over the next few years so that the system can cope with a larger amount of sewage. The scheme, which is aimed at cleaning up the River Lune, has already been underway for six months.

Engineers have started digging trial holes in the city of Lancaster to get ready for future work, including the addition of two huge storm water tanks under the city.

The project co-coordinator for United Utilities, John Byron, stated:

“Our engineers have been a regular fixture in the north of the city for several months. In 2013, we expect to be moving work into parts of the city centre, to further improve the sewer network serving the area.

“We need to dig trial holes, to get a clearer idea of the ground conditions that we will encounter. We’re carrying out a lot of this exploratory work out at night, to minimise traffic disruption.

“The legacy of this scheme will be a cleaner, greener Lancaster. It’s vitally important for the city’s environmental, and economic future.”

Sewer replacement work is well under way in the city of York. Work began in early January on the replacement of a section of sewer in Bishopthorpe, so that the risk of flooding will be reduced.

The new £2.8m pipeline starts on Appleton Road and follows the Selby cycle path before it goes through fields to the east of Acaster Lane. The pipeline will take the sewage to the nearby Naburn Waste Water Treatment works.

The Yorkshire Water project manager on the build is Dominic Cunney. He was quoted as saying in The Press:

“This essential sewer improvement work will significantly reduce the risk of sewer flooding in Bishopthorpe.

“The new pipe will be much more robust and will mean we no longer need to use the existing damaged sewer.
We would like to thank the residents of Bishopthorpe for their continued patience whilst we have dealt with recent bursts and temporary repairs. We plan to complete the construction of the new sewer by the spring.”

Local residents are being kept up-to-date with current workflow after a positive reaction to the public drop-in event that was organised by Yorkshire Water at the beginning of the month.

United Utilities have begun digging in a historic area of Blackburn, sparking an interest in the town’s industrial heritage.

Due to the potential of finding something significant during the dig, experts form NP Archaeology will be on site during the excavation to spot potential artefacts.

The waste water company are currently in the process of upgrading the town’s sewer system, which will prevent sewage being discharged into the river Darwen at times of heavy rainfall. The work at Cob Wall is taking place in two phases over the next two years.

United Utilities will also be constructing an underground waste water storage tank to capture excess stormwater in a car park off Preston Old Road.

The United Utilities project manager on the job, Carly Atherton said:

“This project is all about creating a cleaner, greener future for Blackburn. Improving the quality of local rivers and coastal waters is vital for the environment, for tourism and for business. We will be doing everything we can to minimise disruption during the two new phases of work.

“The work in Cob Wall is especially interesting from an archaeological point of view, as this part of Blackburn was the site of many industrial revolution era textile mills. The archaeologists will be working shoulder to shoulder with our engineers, to make sure any significant artefacts are preserved.”

Thames Water has just launched a scheme which will help protect residents in Leytonstone from the chances of sewer flooding.

The scheme will be taking place for three months and will see sewers around High Road in Leytonstone increase in size. It is being completed by Thames Water drainage contractors.

Approximately 1km of sewerage will be replaced by the contractors which should stop sewer flooding, a problem which residents have complained about for a number of years.

The programme delivery manager for Thames Water, Mark Taylor, stated:

“Sewer flooding is a truly miserable experience and we are committed to doing everything we can to protect our customers by making the network fit for the future.

“We are sorry for any disruption caused but we ask customers to bear with us while we get this essential work done.”

The work will take place along roads including, Belton Road, Argyle Road, Borthwick Road, Hall Road, Downsell Road and Victoria Road.

The Waltham Forest Council cabinet member, Clyde Loakes stated:

“We have been working closely with Thames Water to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum and to make sure the Olympic 2012 street scene improvement works, particularly along the High Road, are not affected.”

Thames Water has just announced that a major project to increase the capacity of one of London’s major sewer works is now half-way to being completed.

The sewage works at Mogden has seen major refurbishments take place since August 2010 and when complete will be able to cope with an increased quantity of sewage. The upgrade at the site has long been overdue but the end result will see the sewage treated more efficiently and odour levels dramatically reduced. The increased quantity of sewage treated will reduce the chances of storm tanks becoming full at times of heavy rainfall and hence reduce the chances of a discharge into the River Thames.

The sewage works at Mogden are expected to coast in the region of £140m. The head of programme delivery at Thames Water, Nick Fawcett, stated:

“We have done the bulk of the construction work and we’d like to thank the neighbours for bearing with us.

“We’ve done everything we can to minimise disruption but the worst part is over, the foundations are in place and by spring this year half of the new works will be operating.

“We still have a 200-strong team working on the site but the focus of the activity is now shifting from civil engineering – such as building foundations and tanks, to mechanical engineering and electrical installation, which will help to get the tanks up and running.”