A RECORD breaking concrete tunnel has been laid beneath the main road from Leigh to Atherton.

The tunnel underneath Leigh Road at Howe Bridge is a vital part of a new high pressure pipeline constructed for Transco.

And Transco has confirmed at 227 metres it is the longest ever concrete gas pipeline tunnel.

Having already successfully crossed some of the busiest roads in the north west, such as the M6 and A580, as the pipeline snakes its 40 kilometre route across country from Mawdesley to Warrington, skilled engineers carried out their work without the need for traffic restrictions.

The work is part of a major national project costing £91 million designed to meet the growth in demand for gas.

Crossing Leigh Road took a specialist team of engineers and contractors 70 working days to install a 72 inch diameter concrete tunnel for a 42 inch diameter gas pipe four metre beneath the road surface.

Project manager Peter Johnson explained: "Extensive studies, consultations and investigations took place before the work to ensure engineers were taking the most appropriate route through the area's difficult ground conditions.

"Thanks to the expertise of the Transco team and contractors MPJV, we successfully completed this record breaking road crossing and are well on the way to completing this section of the project."