A £30 million scheme to lay a new pipeline through the heart of Cumbria began this week, reports Andrew Daniels.

United Utilities is laying the 65km pipeline to bring new improved water supplies from its Watchgate treatment plant, near Kendal, to homes in villages around Penrith, Appleby and Ullswater.

The latest stage in the work began on Monday at Wanderbank, near Kirkby Stephen, where larger inlet and outlet pipes are being constructed at an underground reservoir ready for it to be connected to the new pipeline.

The service reservoir provides a store of treated water for 2,000 homes and businesses in Brough, Kirkby Stephen, Hartley, Winton, Kaber, Brough Sowerby, Great Musgrave and Stainmore.

At present the water stored at Wanderbank comes from Swindale water treatment works, but this is one of the small plants that will be abandoned when the new pipeline is completed.

To allow the work to take place, the service reservoir has been drained down temporarily, and engineers are using this opportunity to give it a routine clean.

While the service reservoir is out of action during the works, residents will be temporarily supplied with water from the Kirkby Stephen Borehole.