The 3.2 km 914 mm diameter welded steel pipeline will link the underground gas storage facility at Hole House Farm, near Middlewich, into the national gas transmission system.

The scope of work includes a 50 m microtunnel under the River Wheelock, a 40 m auger bore under Warmingham Road, a 35 m auger bore under the existing 914 mm diameter National Grid main transmission feeder, and two above-ground installations.

The pipeline route traverses large areas inhabited by Great Crested Newt populations, with the project requiring strict mitigation measures under licence from Natural England.

The route is also adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which includes a number of Flashes (settlement areas) along the River Wheelock, where large populations of nesting birds are prevalent.

Work has commenced on site, and completion and commissioning is scheduled for October 2011.

Thames Water

In conjunction with St James Group, Thames Water has purchased land at Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey, UK, to ensure it can be considered as a key construction site for the Thames Tunnel.

The land can now be considered as a potential alternative to using King's Stairs Gardens in Rotherhithe - one of Thames Water's preferred shaft sites.

Thames Water said the project is urgently needed to help tackle the 39 million tonnes of untreated sewage that overflows into the River Thames, when London's Victorian sewerage network becomes overloaded.

Thames Water Head of London Tideway Tunnels Phil Stride said “Before our next stage of consultation, due to start this September, we will be conducting detailed technical studies to assess the suitability of the Chambers Wharf site, similar to those already in hand for King's Stairs Gardens.”

Thames Water is due to publish its feedback report on the first phase of the public consultation by early April 2011.

Yorkshire Water

Victorian-era sewers located in Whitby, UK, are being upgraded as part of Yorkshire Water's £120 million program of work to help further reduce the risk of flooding to hundreds of properties across the region.

Yorkshire Water's contract partners DrainsAid will begin work on the £50,000 scheme to renovate stretches of sewer under seven of the pedestrian alleyways that feed off New Quay Road.

Yorkshire Water is using No-Dig techniques to carry out the essential work.

“The first phase of the work involves using high-pressure jetting equipment to clean the sewers before small robots equipped with CCTV equipment are placed into the pipe to complete the inspection.

“During the second phase, work will begin to repair each of the stretches of weakened sewer using a technique which will see liners inserted into the sewers from local manholes to form a new protective structural lining to the old pipe,” Yorkshire Water said.

It is anticipated that the work will be completed by 6 March 2011, with each of the alleyways remaining open to pedestrians, and work taking place between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm.

Yorkshire Water's £120million investment over the next five years will enhance its sewer network ensuring it is better able to deal with the increasing flows of wastewater which run through it. On top of this, the company will also be installing more pumping stations around the region which help to speed up the sewage treatment process.

United Utilities

Swagelining Limited has transformed aging water pipes in Cheshire and Merseyside during a trial for United Utilities.

United Utilities commissioned the project to compare various technologies available on the market before refurbishing a 80 km long aqueduct, which transports drinking water from Oswestry in Shropshire to Liverpool.

The pipeline is a key water source supplying over 900,000 people.

Swagelining Limited installed a thin polymer lining into a 1.35 km stretch of the 100 year old 39 inch diameter cast-iron pipeline.

Swagelining Limited Managing Director Stephen Barnes said “The scope of the trial was to specify, design and insert a semi-structural liner into the large diameter pipeline.”

The company uses software which enables the optimum liner size to be selected to achieve maximum pull length without compromising on the pipeline volume capacity.

“This trial swagelined the section of the pipeline in two pulls – 750 m and the other 600 m, although pulls of over 1 km can be achieved,” Mr Barnes said.