A MULTI-MILLION pound services improvement plan is set to cause further traffic problems this summer.

Gas pipeline company Transco will spend nearly half a million pounds in Burnley replacing old iron gas mains with modern plastic ones, which have a far longer lifespan.

This is part of a £56 million plan to replace 307km of iron pipeline to span across the North West, and linked with a 30-year programme planned with the Health and Safety Executive.

Lowerhouse Lane in Burnley will be closed for six weeks from Monday while engineers replace a 1.4 kilometre length of gas main.

There will also be roadworks during the course of the project on Printers Fold and Langham Street.

A less serious disruption will occur be in Colne, where Transco are replacing a 250m length of pipe in Windsor Street from today until the middle of August.

The road will be restricted to one-way traffic, Eastbound only, from Langroyd Road to Skipton Road, for about three weeks, with diversions in operation for Westbound traffic.

Transco Network Director Jon Butterworth said: "Every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum for residents and road users and we will continue to liaise with the police and local authority as work progresses.

"Once the new plastic pipeline is in the ground, it is unlikely that local people will see us carrying out roadworks for many decades to come."

Around 45 per cent of the gas pipes in the ground are iron with many more than 40 years old. The new polyethylene pipes have a lifespan of at least 80 years.

As well as the £56 million this year, Transco spent £50 million last year on replacing 265km of pipes in the North West.

People who travel to work by road have grown used to delays as the new pipelines snake their way across East Lancashire with the inevitable emergency traffic lights and mud-coated roads causing disruption and irritation for residents and commuters.

However, as Transo continue to emphasise, their costly pipe replacements are a vital part of upgrading the service.