MORE than £500,000 is to be pumped into improvement works to sewers in Nelson to stop them overflowing.

United Utilities is staging a public exhibition to show details of works to the sewer system in Roughlee, which will stop waste overflowing into the River Pendle.

The work will include building a new underground storage tank in farmland, replacing an old pumping station and 1.5km of sewer pipes.

The existing pumping station at Blacko Bar Road struggles to cope with sewer flows during heavy rainfall, when it overflows into the River Pendle, and occasionally sewage litter has got into the river.

A new underground tank will be able to store more water in the sewer system and the new pumping station will have more efficient pumps to attempt to prevent overflows occurring.

The sewer will be laid from the new pumping station across farmland to Gisburn Road and will replace a stretch which has suffered from fractures in recent years.

Blacko Bar Road will be closed for six to eight weeks when the work begins on October 27 and diversions will be in place.

United Utilities contract engineer, Sadik Hussain, said: "The work will bring huge benefits to the local environment and people who regularly visit the area for walks will notice an improvement.

"I would ask local residents and other road users to bear with us while this stage of the work is carried out.

"We will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum."

United Utilities will stage a public exhibition at Roughlee Village Centre, from 6.30pm, on September 29, to explain the details of the project and answer any questions.