THE REGION'S power network operator is investing £310,000 in upgrading the network.

Electricity North West, the British electricity distributor for the North West, will be investing the money in upgrading the power network near Darwen.

The upgrade is part of an ongoing maintenance project that will see the network operator invest £130 million per year in replacing underground cables across the North West to prevent powercuts in the future

Mark Crane, delivery assurance manager for Electricity North West, said: “This essential project in Darwen is a great example of how our work not only helps keep the lights on for customers but also how our network supports vital infrastructure like TV masts.

The project will begin on July 31 and will see 3km of underground cable, which was installed in the 1970's, replaced with new cables.

More than 250 local residents will benefit from the upgrade as the modern cable will provide a more reliable power source to the telecommunications mast at winter hill, which serves 6.3 million television sets across the North West.

Communications officer for Electric North West, Nicole Kay, said:"The underground cables that serve the North West were laid in the 50s,60s and 70s so we are taking a proactive approach and replacing them now before they develop any problems.

"We will have similar projects going on across the North West but we have prioritised Darwen due to the Winterhill aspect."

"The mast has been there a long time and is responsible for supplying millions of television sets across the North West so it's important that the power supply to it is reliable."

Work is expected to finish in early November and residents should not expect any disruption to their power supply, but there may be some temporary traffic lights in place to allow work to be carried out safely.

For more information call the Electricity Northwest national free number on 105, or 0800 195 4141