Emergency road closure on Brabyns Brow, Marple due to gas works

An urgent closure of Brabyns Brow, Marple, has been put in place as engineers repair an ongoing gas escape underneath the carriageway.

Work was temporarily suspended last week to allow the Tour of Britain cycle race to pass through Marple at the weekend.

When work restarted on the carriageway, engineers discovered that the pipes, which are around 100 years old, were in need of immediate repairs on a larger scale than first thought.

Checks have been made of nearby buildings and Cadent is satisfied everyone is safe. But this urgent work must happen now to make sure it stays that way.

Unfortunately, this will cause significant travel issues in the area. Diversion routes are being planned with the Highways Authority and put in place, but motorists are advised to leave extra time when making their journeys.

Engineers will be working in Brabyns Brow near to the junction with Arkwright Road and Station Road.

There should be no impact on the gas supply – gas stays ON during the work.

Trevor Lubbock, Customer Operations Area Manager for Cadent, said: “I recognise this road closure is a big challenge for everyone and could probably not have been at a worse time, as schools return. I am sorry for that.

“What’s happened here is that we saw worrying signs last night (Tuesday) that the leak we’d been working on recently was deteriorating.

“Our priority will always be keeping people safe, and we were left with no option than to dig further into the carriageway.

“This meant the one lane we’d been able to keep open – allowing traffic to flow both ways, under traffic lights – could no longer be kept open.

“We have made good progress overnight and through today. If all goes to plan, we should have the road reopen within days.

“We need to leave time for the materials we use to fix the leak to set firm, and the same for the road reinstatement.

“When it reopens it will most likely be with traffic lights initially, as had been the case until last night. This is while we work on repairs elsewhere on the pipe.

“My teams worked late into the night yesterday and will continue to do so. I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.”

If you smell gas, always ring the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999, day or night. Do not assume it is related to this work; it may not be and needs to be checked. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.