Major Road in Oldham to Close for a Year to Combat Sewage Pollution
A significant road closure in Oldham aims to reduce sewage pollution in local rivers
Oldham, United Utilities, Sewage Pollution, River Irk, Plumpton Clough
Oldham: A road in the town center is set to close for a whole year. This is to allow for some major upgrades to the sewage system. Sheepfoot Lane, which links Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park with Oldham Road, will be shut down starting in spring 2025.
United Utilities is behind this £5 million project. The goal is to cut down on storm overflows that dump untreated sewage into local rivers when the system gets overwhelmed. They want to clean up Plumpton Clough and the River Irk, aiming to reduce sewage spills from 49 last year to under ten.
The company is teaming up with Oldham Council, TFGM, and the football club to make sure residents and businesses aren’t too disrupted during the work.
Chris Borradaile, who leads wastewater efforts in Greater Manchester for United Utilities, emphasized the importance of this project. He said it’s all about improving water quality and helping the region’s rivers. This is part of a bigger five-year plan to enhance services and tackle pollution.
United Utilities has faced criticism in the past for sewage issues. Reports showed they released over 140 million liters of waste into Lake Windermere from 2021 to 2023. They’ve also been sued for damage caused by sewage pollution in the Manchester Ship Canal.
While water companies can release some wastewater to prevent system overloads during heavy rain, a lack of investment has led to millions of tons of sewage being dumped into rivers and seas each year. This pollution can be harmful to swimmers and local wildlife.
For those interested, there’s a drop-in info event for residents on January 20 from 2 to 7 PM at the Oldham Event Centre, right by Oldham Athletic Football Club.