Everything you need to know as gas pipes repairs continue across Lancashire (full list)
Four out of five homes in Lancashire use gas, so here’s everything you need to know as work to repair old gas pipes gets going in earnest.
A £90million investment will be made over the next 12 months to upgrade more than 400km of gas pipes in the North West. This will include some road closures and may temporarily impact gas supplies - work is already underway and some road closures in place.
Cadent, which manages the region's gas distribution network, will upgrade some of the oldest pipes it operates. This will ensure a safe, reliable supply of gas to heat homes, hospitals, schools and other buildings. Four out of every five homes in the region have a gas supply.
Areas impacted in Lancashire will include: (note full North West list at bottom of article)
- South Ribble: 6,000m of pipe
- Wyre: 9,000m
- Chorley: 7,500m
- West Lancashire 13,000m
- Ribble Valley: 5,000m
- Burnley: 5,000m
- Lancaster: 3,000m
Confirming the programme of mains replacement work for the year from April 2026 to March 2027, Cadent said around 70 skilled engineering teams will deliver the projects.
Why it’s needed:
Homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings use gas for heat and hot water, some of the region’s biggest industries need it to power production processes, and it is the fuel of choice for rising numbers of HGV fleets.
These upgrades also mean big environmental gains for the region, as it reduces methane emissions and enables a move to more renewable gases like biomethane. This is essential for a cleaner future - the UK will need energy to come from a range of sources to meet demand and be sustainable.
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The work is part of a 30‑year national gas mains replacement programme, which began in 2002. Each year, Cadent replaces around 1.5 per cent of the 34,000 kilometres of gas pipes that make up the North West network, most of which are located beneath roads and pavements.
Most homes in the North West rely on gas for heat and hot water, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that supply remains safe and reliable every minute of the year.
In most cases - around 95 per cent of the time - we are able to insert the new plastic pipe into the old metallic one. This technique reduces the time of each project and we don’t have to dig as much, which means less disruption for local communities.
They are trying to keep gas supplies on where possible
Cadent works closely with local highways authorities and other utility companies to coordinate activity and agree the least disruptive timings. Properties affected by the work receive advance notification, and customer feedback from last year’s programme averaged 9.16 out of 10 (verified results pending).
Gas supplies remain on for most customers throughout the work. In some cases, properties directly connected to a pipe being replaced may experience a temporary interruption of up to 12 hours while they are safely reconnected. Customer teams are on hand to answer questions and support customers - particularly those on the Priority Services Register.
West Lancashire is getting the most work done
West Lancashire will be Cadent’s largest area of work across Lancashire in 2026-27 financial year with 13,000m of pipeline scheduled to be upgraded. Other key local authority areas include:
There is help available
Cadent works with charities and community organisations across the North West to support customers affected by fuel poverty and to provide energy efficiency, income maximisation and gas safety advice. Additional help is available through the Priority Services Register, a free service for customers with extra communication, access or safety needs. More information is available at cadentgas.com/psr.
About Cadent in the North West
Cadent operates four of the UK’s eight gas distribution networks – North West England, West Midlands, Eastern England and North London.
Its North West network stretches from the Lake District to Crewe and is home to 34,000km of distribution pipes (most of them underground) and hundreds of above ground installations. If placed end to end, that amount of pipes would stretch from North West England to Sydney, Australia, and back again.
The investment into the North West gas network will maintain safe, secure supplies to homes, hospitals, schools, offices and other sites, as well as support the UK’s targets to reduce carbon emissions and build cleaner, greener energy networks.
Full list of gas pipeline upgrades being undertaken by Cadent in the North West network can be found below.
Metres of pipe to be upgraded in 2026-27, by local authority area:
- Wirral: 35,000
- Liverpool: 21,500
- Wigan: 21,000
- Manchester: 21,000
- Sefton: 20,500
- Warrington: 18,000
- Halton: 15,500
- Stockport: 14,500
- West Lancashire: 13,000
- Rochdale: 12,500
- Trafford: 12,000
- Salford: 12,000
- Bury: 11,500
- Blackpool: 11,000
- Bolton: 10,500
- Tameside:10,000
- Macclesfield:9,600
- St Helens: 9,500
- Wyre: 9,000
- Oldham: 8,500
- Blackburn with Darwen: 8,000
- Vale Royal: 8,000
- Chorley: 7,500
- South Lakeland: 7,000
- Rossendale: 7,000
- High Peak: 6,000
- South Ribble: 6,000
- Ellesmere Port and Neston: 5,500
- Knowsley: 5,500
- Pendle: 5,000
- Fylde : 5,000
- Crewe and Nantwich: 5,000
- Burnley: 5,000
- Ribble Valley: 5,000
- Chester: 4,500
- Barrow-in-Furness: 4,000
- Congleton: 3,500
- Lancaster: 3,000
- Hyndburn: 3,000
- Preston: 3,000