Major repair work on the busy south Liverpool road is causing dismay among residents
14:21, 05 Apr 2026Updated 14:22, 05 Apr 2026
Peter Metcalfe and Joan Groves on Rookery Drive, with queuing traffic on Aigburth Road seen in the background(Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
People living on and near Aigburth Road in Liverpool say they are “incensed” by major repairs to a gas pipeline which have created a “very dangerous” situation. One lane is currently shut on the busy south Liverpool road between Barkhill Road and Aigburth Hall Avenue, heading towards Garston, Speke and the Mersey Gateway Bridge,
Cadent Gas, which manages a large network of gas distribution across England, are carrying out the works, which began last month. People living nearby say travelling by car or bus has become a “nightmare” with long traffic jams on what is one of Liverpool’s busiest roads.
Some also claim they weren’t told at all about the major repairs taking place on their doorstep until they began. When the ECHO approached Cadent with these concerns, a senior figure apologised to anyone who wasn’t informed and said steps have now been taken to reduce the length of the closed lane.
Aigburth Road roadworks and queuing traffic(Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
Paul Cottrell, 73, lives on Aigburth Road and his driveway backs onto the closed lane. When the ECHO explained that we wanted to know his thoughts about the works, he started shaking his head and audibly sighed.
He said: “They came out (Cadent) and told us it would start in January. That was pushed back five weeks. It seems like it’s going to go on for a long time.
“Luckily me and my wife don’t go out much because we’re retired. It’s the people stuck in the queue I feel sorry for. Luckily it’s half term as well so it’s not as busy.”
Paul said space is always left to get their cars out of the driveway but it’s “whether people let you out” that is the bigger issue.
Another Aigburth Road resident, who asked not to be named, echoed these concerns and condemned “selfish” drivers not letting residents out of their driveways, but overall felt “there are bigger things going on” such as the war in the Middle East.
Paul Cottrell(Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
According to traffic monitoring service Inrix, the works are due to finish on June 12.
It’s not just those living on the main road who have been affected. People who live on the cul-de-sac Rookery Drive have no option but to use Aigburth Road to get in and out.
Several people living there told the ECHO they were not told about the works. Joan Groves, 79, argued walking across the busy four lane road was very difficult because of the disruption, which has taken away space on the pavement.
She said: “I just can’t cross the road. It’s a nightmare. Nobody told us about it. We had nothing. I can’t see it ending any time soon.”
Her neighbour Peter Metcalfe, 55, agreed. He said: “I just crossed the road with my dog and had to be careful. I had to walk on the road. It’s potentially very dangerous. What if someone had a disability? It’s causing ill feeling. ”
Peter says he understood that the works are important, but was dismayed that he and others on the street weren’t warned about it at all. He said: “All it takes is someone knocking on your door or putting a leaflet through.
“It’s so important to canvas people who are paying their bills. We used to be proud of local politics in Liverpool. Now, that’s not the case.”
Tony Scanlon
Clive Newton, 67, bemoaned what he called the lack of planning, with roadworks also taking place on the key routes of Rose Lane and Queens Drive in Mossley Hill nearby. He said: “There’s roadworks all over the place. I’ve taken to going up the hill towards Rose Lane.
“Now there’s roadworks there too. It’s crazy. The main issue for me is the complete lack of planning.
“I get the need for gas replacement, that’s not an issue. There’s a sort of lethargic laziness about the way it’s done, especially leaving cones across the middle when there’s no work being done. Why can’t they move the cones back in to release the two lanes at night time?
“It just doesn’t make any sense at all and to me that’s down to laziness unless there’s some legal requirement. I’m quite incensed about it.
“It’s absolutely terrible. It’s adding about 10 minutes (to my journey home). I go swimming in the dock every morning. I come back up from the dock onto the traffic lights at Jericho Lane to turn right, and then you’re straight into the traffic jam.
“Normally I could just come back straight away, it’s really quick, but I can’t at the moment.”
Not everyone in the area was feeling angry however. Tony Scanlon, 69, who lives on Barkhill Road, said he liked that the works had closed off his street temporarily as it had prevented drivers using it as a rat run for the first time in years.
In response to these concerns, Lucy Sterry, head of work management (north west) at Cadent, said: “This work is part of our major gas mains upgrade programme – replacing some of the oldest pipes in the north west region with new tough plastic pipes so that our customers can continue to get the gas they need to heat their homes, as well as for hot water and cooking.
“The pipeline under Aigburth Road is nearly 100 years old and, in recent years, has started to show signs of its age. This includes gas leaks, requiring unplanned emergency gas works, which are more disruptive to the local community. This upgrade work will bring that to an end.
“More than 80% of homes in this area of Liverpool are heated by gas, and the pipeline we are upgrading is an important part of our commitment to safely transport it to them, 24 hours a day. In total, it’s 2.4km of pipe that we’re upgrading in this scheme.
“The pipe runs underneath the carriageway and in the footpaths. In order to create a safe work space, we have reduced the two lanes of traffic to one, in one direction of travel only.
Queuing traffic on Aigburth Road where it has been reduced to one lane. The gas pipe repairs are expected to take months. (Image: Jamie Greer/Liverpool ECHO)
“We did send letters to properties we knew would be directly impacted by our work activity and I apologise if local residents in nearby roads did not get to hear about these works.
“I have listened to our customers’ comments and we have taken steps to reduce the length of the filtering lane, starting from last night (Wednesday April 1).
“We expect to finish this current phase of work by early May. There will be a small section of pipeline left to upgrade, which we will return to once we have agreed permits with the highways authority. We do not expect this to be more than a couple of weeks of additional work.
“I appreciate this work is disruptive and I want to assure everyone that we have taken on board this feedback to improve how we plan and communicate our work in the future.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “Cadent are carrying out essential replacement works, for which Liverpool City Council have granted them a Street Works Permit until 12 June, and we will monitor progress.
“The authority receives a high number of requests to undertake essential work on the highway and, as such, works may be carried out in close proximity to each other.
“We have undertaken a number of inspections on these works whilst they have been in progress, with some minor issues being reported back to Cadent.
“We have not received any complaints from residents or other stakeholders; however, we will make Cadent aware of the concerns that have been reported and look to arrange a joint meeting to assess.”