12 weeks of roadworks to start on main route through Burbage and Hinckley next week

Drivers face 12 weeks of roadworks on a main route through Burbage and Hinckley from next week.

Cadent is to install more than 600m of new, larger gas pipes on Rugby Road, between the Three Pots roundabout and the Sketchley Lane roundabout.

The upgrades are needed to meet growing demand for gas in the area.

Phase one will start on Monday (July 6) and is due to last for three weeks.

Engineers will install the new pipe from the Three Pots Roundabout to the Sketchley Lane Roundabout.

The work will be carried out under temporary traffic lights which will head north as the work progresses.

Phase two is due to start on July 27 and will take four weeks.

The junction of Rugby Road and Sketchley Road will be closed.

For access to Sketchley Road, there will be a diversion via Coventry Road and Pyeharps Road.

Phase three will start on August 24 and will last for five weeks.

The new pipe will be installed from Coventry Road to the Three Pots roundabout.

During this phase there will be lane closures and narrow lanes along this stretch of road but traffic will still be able to flow in both directions.

Craig Horrocks heads up Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme in Hinckley and the West Midlands.

He said: “With 84 per cent of residents in the Hinckley and Burbage area relying on gas to heat their homes, it’s important that we keep investing in our pipe network so we can supply enough gas to keep people warm and power their businesses.

“To keep colleagues and motorists safe we will need traffic management and we would ask people to bear with us as we complete this work.”

The Government has classed work undertaken by energy networks like Cadent as essential during the coronavirus outbreak, as they are ensuring a safe and reliable gas supply.

The work will not require colleagues to enter anyone’s homes, and the engineers will be working in accordance with the latest Government guidelines.

Last year, drivers had to endure seven months of roadworks on Coventry Road in Hinckley while ageing gas mains were replaced.

The town has had a gas supply since 1834, when the first gas works was built by the Hinckley Gas Light and Coke Company on a site in Coventry Road, now occupied by Cadent.

Originally gas was used for lighting streets and homes.

Later it came to be used for heating, cooking and generating hot water.

If you have any questions about the work, contact the customer service team on 0161 703 1010/1110.