MILLIONS of pounds will come pouring into Bury in the shape of water service improvements from North West Water.

The company is embarking on a massive spending programme all over Greater Manchester and Bury residents are among those set to benefit.

More than £100 million will be spent on dozens of water and wastewater projects across the county over the next 12 months.

About £5 million has been allocated for work in Bury, helping to prevent pollution to local rivers and streams.

Schemes to be carried out locally include:

Sewer replacement at Gin Hall, Walmersley, worth £428,000.

Work on sewers in Radcliffe. This work is under way and is set to be completed by August at a cost of £353,000.

Bury north area sewers, work to be carried out between February and July 1999 (£255,000).

Bury south area sewers, work to be carried out June and December 1999 (£104,000).

A Bury Golf Club sewer overflow which runs into Parr Brook will also be replaced improving the water quality. The work will start this month and take 60 weeks.

New combined sewer overflow chambers will be built at the golf club and in Prestwich to go with new sewer overflows earmarked for construction there.

The chambers will have fine screens to help prevent sewer debris from entering the water courses during heavy rain.

North West Water capital investment director Richard Bradbury said: "This is part of our continuing commitment to improving and maintaining our services for customers.

"By the year 2000 we will have spent £5 billion on our water and wastewater services for the benefit of people in the North-west.

"This investment will continue into the next decade."

The investment will not affect customer bills which were set in 1995 during the most recent review by OFWAT, the water regulator.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.