Part of a road in Mottram which has been closed for almost three weeks, to enable major engineering work to repair a leaking gas pipe, could reopen within days. 

Cadent, which manages the local gas network, was first alerted to the suspected leak in February. 

The pipe in question helps carry gas to heat 7,000 homes and immediate action was taken which has also ensured gas has kept flowing through the recent cold spell. 

Cadent say the closure of Ashworth Lane, near the junction with Market Place, to through traffic was necessary as engineers needed to excavate a site which is 16 metres at its longest and around 1.5 metres deep, to gain access to the section of pipe they'd need to work on. 

The work, unsurprisingly, has led to added congestion on nearby roads. 

But there is some good news as the specialist repair work being carried out has "progressed well" and Cadent hopes to have the road reopen by the middle of this week. 

A bypass pipe was installed, meaning gas continued to flow to local homes and the leaking pipe could be safely worked on with full sections replaced.

Cadent say engineers will be testing the pipeline over the coming days and then, once content is working as it should, the road can be reinstated.

Ste Warner, Network Specialist at Cadent, said: "We are hopeful that we can have the road reopen to traffic this week [w/c 13 March] – possibly by the middle of the week if everything goes to plan. 

"We’ve faced a big engineering challenge, and we’ve worked hard to keep everyone safe and keep gas flowing, so that people can stay warm in their homes. We know it’s led to added traffic congestion and we appreciate everyone’s ongoing patience.”

Once the road is reopened, there will continue to be a Cadent presence in the area, as teams get to work on reinstating around 50 square metres of block paving.