Gas Boost for Wigton - Information Evening Planned - July 7th, 2008

Homes and businesses in Wigton are set for a £30,000 boost to their gas supplies this summer.

Regional pipeline company Northern Gas Networks is planning a vital scheme to renew gas pipes in the centre of the town and is inviting people to an information evening to look at the plans.

The evening will take place at Wigton Community Centre between 4pm and 7pm on Monday July 14.

Work is due to start in late August and is expected to last two months. It will be managed by United Utilities on Northern Gas Networks’ behalf.

It will involve three consecutive road closures in the Market Place area, each lasting an estimated three weeks. Diversions will be signposted and engineers will do everything possible to complete the work as quickly as possible.

The road closures are planned as follows:

1. Closure of High Street at its junction with King Street. Diversion via Market Place.
2. Closure of West Street at its junction with Market Place. Diversion via A596 and Station Road.
3. Closure of King Street at its junction with High Street. Diversion via A596 and Station Road.

Network Director for Northern Gas Networks, Chris Gorman said the work was crucial for the ongoing safety and reliability of local gas supplies.

“There is no doubt that a project like this will cause inconvenience for local people and we apologise for that. We will do everything in our power to keep that disruption to a minimum.

“For instance we will employ a customer liaison officer to keep local traders informed and we are using insertion technology to speed mainlaying up. This is where we push new sections of pipe inside the old which vastly reduces the amount of digging we need to do.”

Access to businesses for customers and deliveries will be maintained at all times.

“On the positive side our new plastic pipe is considered the best available for gas pipes so we should not have to dig it up for many, many decades to come,” he said.