Lancashire's share of £75m upgrade for North West gas network

Details of this year’s programme to upgrade the North West’s oldest gas mains — some of which were installed over 100 years ago — are published today.

- By Kevin Hegarty Contributor

Cadent confirmed investment of more than £75million to modernise around 385km of its North West pipeline over the next 12 months (April 2025 to March 2026).

This is around the same straight-line distance as Liverpool to Dover, or the length of 3,600 football pitches, or the height of more than 2,400 Blackpool Towers. The work includes 18.6km of upgrades in Blackpool, 10.3km in South Ribble, 10km in Chorley, 7.7km in Wyre, 6.8km in Lancaster, 3km in Preston and 2.7km in Fylde. It will be delivered by around 600 engineers.

Upgrading the North West network means 2.7 million properties receive a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.

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.

“The majority of homes in the North West rely on gas for central heating and it’s our job to make sure they get it, safely and reliably, every minute of every day of the year,” said Mark Syers, Head of Work Management (North West), who leads the team delivering Cadent’s gas mains upgrade work in the region.

“As our older stock reaches the end of its safe working life, we must replace it.