Those thinking of undertaking a plumbing training course might be interested to learn that plumbing improvements in St Helens could mean that householders in the area will soon be turning their taps on to better water supplies.
United Utilities - the UK's largest listed water company - is undertaking a two-week project to replace an old cast-iron pipe on Elton Head Road at the junction of Sutton Heath Road with a modern plastic alternative.
Project engineer Brian McBurney said that the Elton Head Road water mains are more than 100 years old.
"It has done a great job all these years but is now not up to modern standards and it is time to replace it," he stated.
Mr McBureney added that to keep disruption to a minimum, engineers will use the latest pipe-laying technique known as slip-lining, which is the equivalent of keyhole surgery for water mains.
Workers will only need to dig small access holes instead of open trenches, allowing the new plastic pipe to be fed through the old one, he continued.