Yorkshire Water is about to embark on its largest infrastructure investment of the last 20 years, tackling poor performing assets, as it starts a five-year plan to replace more than 1000km of water mains.
In the first year alone, Yorkshire Water is investing £89m to replace 238km or 147 miles (equivalent to a return journey from Leeds to Hull) of water mains with durable, flexible plastic pipes. The second year of the programme will see 211km of mains replaced throughout Yorkshire.
The new replacement mains are built to withstand high pressure and temperature variations resulting in fewer bursts, lower leakage and a reduction in water supply disruptions to customers.
Yorkshire Water is targeting poor performing assets that will benefit most from mains renewal as a priority in areas prone to disruption, bursts and supply interruptions such as Kiverton Park, York, Sheffield, Sowerby Bridge, Harrogate and Stannington.
“We’re deploying trenchless techniques wherever possible to reduce disruption by tunnelling under the road in some instances to prevent the need to dig a trench across a whole street or road.”
Mains replacement work will take place right across the county from Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield to the east Yorkshire coast, Hull and North Lincolnshire. York and North Yorkshire will see 43km and 90km of new mains respectively by the end of March 2026, as the county undergoes a major replacement programme.
Whilst this large-scale scheme will cause some disruptions along the way, Yorkshire Water’s team is determined to keep this to a minimum as Lee Boshell, capital delivery programme manager, Yorkshire Water, explains:
“We have already identified our first two years’ worth of mains replacement and we’re working towards year three of our five-year programme. Having long term visibility of the programme of works allows us to work closely with Local Authorities, Highways and other utility providers, so that we can collaborate with them to renew mains and other services in one go.
“This is an important investment for our business and our customers and will help us to improve the performance of our clean water network to reduce leakage and supply interruptions for our customers. We know that delivering this work, which involves relaying mains under busy roads and in major towns and cities in the region, will inevitably cause disruption, but we will be doing everything we can to keep this to a minimum.
“We’re deploying trenchless techniques wherever possible to reduce disruption by tunnelling under the road in some instances to prevent the need to dig a trench across a whole street or road.
“We will be working hard to provide as much notice as possible to customers, partner organisations, stakeholders and commuters about work happening in their area and proposed timescales.”
The mains replacement programme forms part of Yorkshire Water’s largest-ever environmental investment, a £8.3 billion initiative aimed at improving infrastructure and addressing key concerns for customers. This includes a £1.5 billion commitment to reducing storm overflows into the region’s watercourses, alongside £360 million dedicated to preventing nutrient pollution. Additionally, £327 million is being invested in the rollout of smart meters to help customers conserve water and lower their bills, while £51 million is allocated to strengthening asset resilience.
Further measures include a £98 million investment in water quality monitors to enhance pollution detection and response times, £75 million for environmental protection and improvements, and £99 million to enhance drinking water quality. Together, these initiatives represent a transformative effort to modernise infrastructure, protect the environment, and improve service reliability for communities across the region.
