MOTORISTS are being reminded that a busy route into the town will close again early in the New Year while work continues on a £1.2m United Utilities project to clean a St Helens watercourse.

Washway Lane is currently open for the Christmas season, but will be shut to traffic from Monday, January 6, when work starts again.

It was closed through October and November and diversions led to significant traffic congestion during rush hour and disruption to bus services.

United Utilities says the scheme is progressing well and is expected to be completed in March 2014.

The sewer scheme will prevent untreated wastewater entering Rainford Brook in the town.

At the moment, when heavy rain hits, the sewer system has a combined sewer overflow, which acts as a safety valve, allowing the rainwater to escape into the watercourse, rather than it forcing itself onto roads or homes. This rainwater can also be mixed with sewage.

This scheme involves building a 10metre x 4metre underground chamber below Washway Lane. When it rains heavily, the tank will hold the wastewater, before screening it and letting it into the brook via a screen, which will catch all any solid materials.

A 75metre section of Washway Lane will be closed between the BOC Factory and Scafell Road.

Matt Parr, United Utilities Project Co-ordinator, said: “The project is going really well and we are on target to complete the work next March.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we are on site and please remember to use an alternative route after the festive break.”