PLANS for a “major revamp” of the Haweswater Aqueduct will be shared with communities at drop-in sessions next month.

The 109km pipeline, which was completed in 1955, transports water from the Lake District to people in Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

And now water company United Utilities (UU) is gearing up for a multi-million-pound revamp of the aqueduct which has been necessitated by the age of the underground pipeline.

Next month, UU staff will be hosting drop-in sessions at different locations to show people the company’s plans and “when and where it will be working in their area.”

These sessions are as follows:

- Tuesday, March 3 from 3pm to 7pm at Grayrigg Coronation Hall.

- March 4 from 3pm to 7pm at The New Hutton Institute, near Kendal.

- March 5 from 3pm to 7pm at Mansergh Community Hall, near Kirkby Lonsdale.

- March 10 from 3pm to 7pm at Wray Village Institute.

Preparations for the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme have begun and construction work is scheduled to begin in 2023.

A UU spokesman said: “After successfully serving 2.5 million people the pipe now needs some major improvements to ensure it continues to work well in the future.”

The wheels of the mammoth engineering project were set in motion more than 10 years ago, when UU engineers inspected the pipeline and “identified areas of concern that posed a potential future risk to both water quality and supply.”

On its website, UU reports action was taken ‘straight away’ in the worst affected areas but says it was ‘clear’ more work was needed.

It adds: “Independently-verified research has clearly indicated that the preferred solution for customers and stakeholders is the replacement of all six tunnel sections along the length of the aqueduct.”

Investigations on the pipeline began in February 2019.