Wigan canal drained due to burst water main underneath it
A huge and complicated engineering project is under way in Wigan after a water main burst underneath the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
United Utilities and Canal and River Trust experts are both involved in the operation on a stretch of the waterway at Platt Bridge.
Because there are no locks nearby, dams have had to be created at either side of the rupture and then the water drained away.
Work can then start on mending the pipe before further engineering work will have to be carried out to ensure the canal itself doesn’t then leak when refilled.
The operation began on Thursday (August 14) and UU is not yet able to predict when the canal will be usable by boats again.
So far there has been no to little impact on customers, apart from some slight water discoloration which was reported on Sunday night (August 17). UU is recommending that if this recurs, residents should simply open the tap until the water runs clean.
Bottles of drinking water have been delivered to homes with vulnerable residents in the area, as a precaution, but so far they have not been needed.
A United Utilities spokesperson, said: “We identified a leak on a water main than runs under the Leeds Liverpool Canal in Platt Bridge.
“Due to the location, we have had to work with the Canal and River Trust to drain a section of the canal to allow our teams to carry out work in a safe environment.
"It is a complex job, but the main has now been isolated and our teams will be working as quickly as they can to carry out the repairs.”