A road close to Oldham Athletic football club is to close for more than a year as part of work to expand a sewage system.
Most of Sheepfoot Lane in the Greater Manchester town – between Boundary Park and Oldham Road – will be subject to diversions from the spring.
Water firm United Utilities is undertaking a £5m project to reduce the use of storm overflows, which release untreated sewage at times when the sewer system is overwhelmed.
The company, which covers north-west England, has faced criticism in the past years for illegally dumping raw sewage.
It says it wants to “improve the water quality” at Plumpton Clough and the River Irk by reducing sewage spills to under 10 a year – down from 49 recorded incidents in 2023.
Water companies can release untreated sewage when it rains heavily to stop homes being flooded.
However, without full treatment, sewage can cause more damage to the environment and swimmers.
Chris Borradaile, county business leader for wastewater in Greater Manchester at United Utilities, said the work on Sheepfoot Lane was “an important scheme that will help to improve the water quality in Plumpton Clough and the River Irk”.
“We are playing our part to improve the health of the region’s rivers and delivering the step change that customers and stakeholders want to see.”
United Utilities says it is working with Oldham Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and the football club to minimise disruption.
