Waterwork misery set to keep on running

ENGINEERS using temporary traffic lights remain at the site of a major water main burst.

The incident, at the Chester Road junction with Dean Lane and Jacksons Lane, in Hazel Grove, happened in the early hours of Tuesday, December 6.

It saw schools including Hazel Grove High and Cheadle Hulme School close and hundreds of properties in Hazel Grove and Bramhall left without water.

United Utilities initial repair work caused widespread traffic disruption and it has now been confirmed workers will remain on site until at least today (Wednesday, December 14).

There has also been secondary problems caused by the burst with some residents having discoloured water the following day.

In a highways and roadworks bulletin a council spokesman said: “United Utilities are currently on site at the above junction dealing with a major burst on a water main.

“The current temporary traffic management layout at Chester Road on the north side of Dean Lane/ Jacksons Lane junction will be on site for at least a week.”

Investigations by United Utilities found that the burst was in a 15 inch trunk main pipe that goes into the reservoir with feeder pipes to homes going off it.

The power of the pipe led to flooding of up to a foot of water affecting garages and gardens nearby. Firefighters were called to give assistance.

Although the water main has been repaired, it is the associated roadworks that are taking much longer.

On Wednesday last week the water supply in the Bramhall, Hazel Grove and Cheadle area suffered further problems.

Homes experienced issues of low pressure and no water that United Utilities attributed to a ‘minor technical fault on the water mains network’.

A problem with discol- oured water was blamed on the disturbance to pipes in the area.

A United Utilities spokesman said: “Our pipes have naturally occurring sediments and minerals at the bottom which can get disturbed every now and then.

“We know it doesn’t look nice but don’t worry, it’s unlikely to be harmful and will settle down again in time.

“You can help with this by letting your cold water tap run at a slight trickle until your water runs crystal clear again.”