Villagers first look at new sewer plans

Villagers near Carlisle are being invited to look at plans to improve their sewerage system. Engineers from United Utilities want to shut down Irthington's old sewage works and lay a new pipeline to link the village to the company's much bigger site in Brampton.
The £1.9m scheme will increase the capacity of Irthington's sewerage system and should also be good news for the River Irthing.

Project staff will visit the village next week to meet people and answer their questions about the work, which is due to start next January.

United Utilities' mobile visitor centre will be outside Irthington school between 12.30pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday August 7.

Project co-ordinator Caroline Brumwell said: "Irthington sewage works has served the community well but people's needs are growing all the time and it no longer has the capacity we think it might need in the future. Sending Irthington's waste water to Brampton will give people peace of mind and will also mean less chance that sewers overflow into the river, which is good news for everyone, especially the wildlife."

The work should not have too much impact on local people because most of the pipelaying will be in fields. As well as laying a one kilometre pipeline, engineers will also replace Irthington’s existing sewer pumping station with a new one and make improvements at Brampton Sewage Works.

The project is expected to be finished in late summer 2013.