BOSSES at United Utilities have unveiled part of the plans for a £120million investment in waste water treatment in Blackburn and Darwen.

As reported by the Lancashire Telegraph in August, the firm, which provides water across the North West including all of East Lancashire, had invited contractors to tender for the works.

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They will see the design, construction and commissioning of a new treatment plant in Blackburn and updates to its site in Darwen for improved capacity.

Now part of the plans, for work at Darwen Waste water Treatment Works (WwTW) and a new pipeline to Ewood have been revealed in planning documents submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Detailed plans for the new treatment plant in Blackburn, including where it would be located, have not yet been revealed.

The firm had enquired with the borough’s planning department as to whether an ‘environmental impact assessment’ - a document assessing the environmental side effects of a development - would be required ahead of a full planning application for the work at Darwen and the new pipeline.

The proposal from United Utilities is that most of the Darwen WwTW, accessed via Lower Eccleshill Road, needs decommissioning as it is in a poor condition.

A new storm water drainage capacity would then be constructed and a pumping station installed. The pumping station would divert water via the proposed 1.5km pipeline from Darwen to the existing water network off Bolton Road, near its junction with Branch Road.

The plans also include an underground chamber near Albion Road, which would split water flows the new pipeline and also to the existing M65 tunnel.

A United Utilities spokesman said: “We are currently in the tendering process and the outcome of this is unlikely to be finalised until at least the end of this year.

“In the meantime our project team which is responsible for looking at our proposed improvement work in Blackburn and Darwen continues to develop a plan on what needs to happen.

“This will include the submission of planning applications and communicating with key stakeholders.“That said we must stress this project is still at a very early stage and the scope of what we are going to spend and build is still being developed.”