£3.5m upgrade for old water pipes

Yorkshire Water has announced that 15 miles of pipes will be replaced or strengthened in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

However, motorists and residents have been warned to expect disruption during the eight-month programme of work, which is due to be completed by March next year.

More than six miles of pipes will be replaced and nearly four miles relined in Harrogate and Knaresborough, while about six miles of the network will be replaced in Ripon. The work is aimed at improving the quality of the water supply, while also minimising the risk of leaking pipes.

The project is part of an ongoing £39m programme of investment to overhaul the company’s 20,000 miles of water pipes to reduce bursts and ensure the network is more robust to deal with temperature extremes.

Yorkshire Water began a £13m project last month to replace more than 62 miles of underground cast iron water pipes in Leeds, some of which date back more than a century, with new plastic versions.