Work to install a new section of underground gas pipeline is set to take place in 2025.

The local network of underground pipes is managed by gas company Cadent and is responsible for carrying gas to homes, schools, hospitals, offices, and other buildings, where it is used for heating, hot water and cooking.

There are 21,000 miles of distribution pipes under North West England and this includes a section of pipeline that runs alongside Ulverston Canal.

This ‘key’ High Pressure Gas pipeline between Whassett and Barrow is relied on by tens of thousands of homes for warmth in the colder months of the year – around 80 per cent of homes in this area have gas central heating.

Assessments of the pipe in recent years identified a need to move it away from its current location, which is within the towpath adjacent to Ulverston Canal.

Ulverston Town Council shared an update on the project to install a new 850-metre section of pipeline in parallel with the existing pipeline outside the immediate embankment area.

Once this new pipeline is operational, the existing pipeline will be decommissioned.

This means there will be no impact on gas supply while the work takes place, and they can be ‘confident’ of ensuring a long-term safe supply of gas to the local area.

In a statement on social media, Cadent said: “Our teams have been planning this work for some time, consulting with many agencies to consider a range of subjects from local ecology to availability of land.”

A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was acquired on July 25, 2023, granting Cadent all of the land and rights required for the project.

They said: “We have positively engaged with all landowners and continue to do so. The CPO enables Cadent to have certainty that it can deliver the project within the timescales needed to protect supply.”

Preliminary works, which began on August 12, are expected to take around four to six weeks with the main works starting in 2025.

Cadent said: “There should be no impact on members of the public during the preliminary phase – the footpath beside the canal stays open, for example, so please continue to use this lovely local amenity.”