News reports located on this page = 2.

Stop! Find! Check! Label! WaterSafe urges homeowners to take stop tap action

WATERSAFE, the UK register of approved plumbers, is urging homeowners in Merseyside to stop, find, check and label their internal stop tap and make this job the top of their:- 'to do' list this winter. The internal stop tap will shut off the water supply quickly if pipes burst during a sudden freeze or thaw, which can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to homes and their contents. Data from the Association of British Insurers shows that during a spell of freezing weather, a claim to repair a burst pipe costs an average of ₤8,800; and can often be more.  Repair costs can be significantly reduced if the stop tap is used to turn off the water as quickly as possible; so knowing where your stop tap is and checking it regularly to make sure it is working is essential.

The internal stop tap, sometimes also known as a stopcock or stop valve, should be turned clockwise to turn off the water supply. Common places to find it include:-

► Under the kitchen sink.

► Kitchen cupboard.

► Downstairs bathroom or toilet.

► Garage or utility room.

► Cellar.

► Under the stairs

Property owners are responsible for the internal stop tap so if you can't locate it or it's not working, contact an approved plumber for help at watersafe.org.uk. WaterSafe's timely advice is supporting the Met Office's:- 'WeatherReady' campaign, which encourages everyone to think about what they can do to prepare for and cope with severe weather.  Will Lang, Head of Civil Contingencies at the Met Office, said:- "As we approach winter, it is important to know where you can access expert advice and guidance to help you prepare for the potential impacts of severe weather. Taking a small amount of time to prepare now can make a big difference in keeping family, friends and neighbours, as well as property and businesses safe throughout the months ahead."

Julie Spinks, director of WaterSafe, said:- "This year we are focussing our winter messaging on 1 critical piece of advice for households which is take the time to locate the internal stop tap, and importantly, to check that it's working, in case of a plumbing emergency this winter. It's a good idea to label your stop tap once you've located it; and to add the number of a WaterSafe approved plumber in case you need it in a hurry, because the consequences of not doing so and potentially facing the misery of flooding do not bear thinking about."

Pipes in unheated areas should always be protected against winter temperatures with insulating lagging to help prevent them from freezing and bursting in the first instance. Visit:- WaterSafe.Org.UK for further information and 'how to' videos on protecting homes in winter weather. Find out more about the wider #WeatherReady campaign, which is run by the Met Office in partnership with the Cabinet Office, at:- MetOffice.Gov.UK.

Removal of flawed Flyovers enters final phases

THE remaining 4 spans of the Northern Flyover will be taken down as engineers embark on the final phases of the monumental, 4 month long task of dismantling the condemned 50 year old structures. Contractors for the mammoth deconstruction scheme are to deploy 'munching machines' originally used on the removal of the footbridges, which serviced the City Centre's last remaining:- 'highway in the sky.' This technique will replace the 'cut and lower' method deployed to date. The change in methodology will mean that no further closures are required on neighbouring Byrom Street and Hunter Street, from Monday, 25 November 2019.  To offset any dust issues from the 'munching' method, water spray will be used to create a mist to prevent air born particles drifting away from the site. The removal of the remaining North Flyover spans, each weighing up to 600 tonnes; will begin, at 7pm, on Friday, 22 November 2019, and will require lane closures of Hunter Street Westbound, heading to the A59 and Birkenhead Tunnel, and Byrom Street, southbound heading to the Birkenhead Tunnel. The lane closures are scheduled to end at 5am, on Monday, 25 November 2019. This will be the final closures for the gargantuan scheme as the remaining South Flyover spans sit away from any public roads. These will be removed by early December 2019. Both Mersey Tunnels will remain open over the weekend. However, for tunnel users travelling from Liverpool to Wirral, access to the Birkenhead Tunnel will be via Victoria Street only. Tunnel users are advised to consider using the Wallasey Tunnel where possible. The lane closures will also means some changes to bus services, due to diversions, such as the Liverpool to Southport service. Details on the changes can be found at:- MerseyTravel.Gov.UK/TravelUpdates. There may also be disruption to other City Centre Bus Services, due to potential congestion. Motorists are advised to allow more time for journeys. Traffic updates will be provided on Merseytravel's twitter feed. Pedestrians needing to get to the LJMU campus on Byrom Street can go via:- Hatton Garden to Great Crosshall Street or via:- William Brown Street, Islington and Hunter Street (when not fully closed).

Flyover Deconstruction - The Process:-

► The removal of the Churchill Way Flyovers is currently the most complex highways engineering scheme in the UK.

► The North and South Flyovers; each of which are 800 feet in length; have been segmented out into 20 spans, each of which are being removed in a pre-determined sequence to mitigate impact in a very busy part of Liverpool City Centre.

► The 4 month long deconstruction programme has necessitated an innovative:- "cut and lift" technique along with traditional demolition methods and this was devised collaboratively between Amey Consulting, GRAHAM and their specialist contractors.

► Liverpool City Council approved this hyper sensitive approach, at a cost of ₤6.75m, after the 2 lane highways were closed at the end of September 2018, following the discovery of construction flaws.

► Once the deconstruction is completed in December 2019, alterations will be made to the highway layout around the:- Hunter Street;  Byrom Street; Queensway Tunnel entrance, to improve traffic and pedestrian movements.

► The site compound at Fontenoy Street, at which the sections are cut into smaller pieces, has required tree removal, but the City Council has plans to double tree numbers as part of a new post Flyover masterplan for the area.

Road closures currently in place for the scheme:-

► Fontenoy Street will remain closed until mid-December.

► Cuerden Street will remain closed until mid-December.

► Surrounding Car Parks at:- Fontenoy Street, Dale Street, Primrose Hill and Hunter Street have now all closed and will re-open as phases complete during the month of December.

► If car journeys are necessary, motorists are being redirected to nearby car parks, at:- Victoria Street, Mount Pleasant, Queen Square and St Johns Shopping Centre.

► For more Flyover information including all road closures and diversions go to:- Liverpool.Gov.UK.

Funding for the deconstruction comes from the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity (LCCC) Phase 1 Grant Fund Agreement, which is supported by a ₤38.4m grant from the Local Growth Fund with City Council match funding of ₤8.7m. Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.

Councillor Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet member for Highways, said:- "After months of planning and sheer hard work, the finishing line on removing the Churchill Way Flyovers is now in sight. I'm sure everyone who travels into Liverpool City Centre will welcome the progress that has been made and the fact the remaining spans will not require any more road closures will be a nice bonus for businesses in the run up to Christmas. I must applaud the engineers for their flexible approach to this hugely complex challenge. The need to swap techniques only came to light in the past few weeks. It has required a huge rethink in terms of logistics but they've done it efficiently and without interruption to the overall timetable. This reverting to the munching method has also given us the opportunity to immediately recycle the concrete for the new coach park; which is a fantastic win win as it will also save the City Council money in the long run."

Stephen McFaul, Contracts Manager for GRAHAM, said:- "The removal of the Flyovers has progressed well to date with all key milestones achieved, despite some technical challenges and methodology changes. We have another mammoth task this weekend for our specialist sub contractors to remove all remaining spans of Northern Flyover and one span on Southern Flyover adjacent to Byron Street. Demobilisation of jacking towers and heavy lifting gear are currently underway to allow reinstatement works to commence in next few weeks. The deconstruction works to date have already transformed the visual impact of the Museum area and will support the continued transformation of the Flyovers into a safe and secure area."