Engineers who may have plumbing training discover unusual pipe
Water engineers who may have received plumbing training got a shock after making an unusual discovery in Manchester recently.
United Utilities employees who are currently renewing pipes on Oxford Road in the city centre were surprised to find a four-cornered pipe when removing the old plumbing system.
Dating back to 1907, the cast-iron object has an oblong cross section rather than being the usual round shape.
The pipe was found where Oxford Road crosses the Rochdale Canal Bridge and will be donated to the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester because it is so rare.
United Utilities project coordinator Tony Molloy said: "I've been replacing water mains across the north-west for nearly 20 years and I've never seen anything like this.
"I think this is a genuine one-off, machined specially for this location."
United Utilities is currently working in Kendal to install a new 1.1 km pipe from one end of the town to the other so that the water supply to around 2,000 homes can be modernised.
