COMPLAINTS have been made over a water leak in Blackburn town centre described as ‘Niagara Falls’.

Water has been leaking out onto the street in Darwen Street outside Blackburn Cathedral and running past The Postal Order pub for ‘several weeks’. Similar problems have also been occurring in Stanhill Road in Oswaldtwistle.

MORE TOP STORIES:

United Utilities said they do not currently have a repair date for the leak in Blackburn because of the ‘complex’ location of the pipe, but the work is being planned.

Canon Andrew Hindley, is responsible for maintaining the cathedral. He said: “We reported the issue to United Utilities before Christmas. We’re concerned about the public safety of people coming to and leaving the cathedral, especially given the weather at this time of year, as it can get icy outside on that path.

“This is particularly the case for elderly residents. It can be very dangerous for them.”

United Utilities said that because of the location and number of homes and businesses fed by the pipe the issue is more complex due to the potential disruption. The company will need mobile water tankers pumping into the mains to avoid causing a loss of water.

Peter Harrison, 74, from Ewood, reported the problem to the utility company. He said: “It’s like Niagara Falls, water is running right down the street, its a major problem, its a central part of the town. It’s so dangerous. I saw two people slip over there yesterday.”

People in Stanhill Road in Oswaldtwistle have faced similar problems over recent weeks, with one resident saying that the issue was reported to United Utilities on December 19.

The water service provider said that leak has been repaired yesterday evening.

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We always aim to repair leaks as quickly as possible, but sometimes we need to do a lot of planning behind the scenes before we can switch a pipe off to repair it.

“We’re grateful to the public for reporting leaks using our free Leakline 0800 330033.”