WARRINGTON Wolves’ dramatic victory over St Helens in the Super League playoff semi-final has postponed planned major upgrades to one of the town's gas mains.

A multi-million pound scheme to upgrade 300m of old cast iron pipe outside the Halliwell Jones Stadium was due to start on Monday, October 8.

But the planned start date for work on the gas pipe – running underneath Winwick Road and Winwick Street – has been moved to Monday, October 15, in order to allow Wire fans to board coaches to the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday, October 13.

The project will be completed in three stages – starting near the Lord Rodney pub, where temporary traffic lights will be installed.

Teams will then move nearer to Central Station, where further temporary two-way traffic lights will be in place – with crews only working in off-peak hours.

A final phase of work will involve the closures of John Street, Haydock Street and Buckley Street – although only one of these roads will shut at a time.

Diversions will be signposted for motorists who are advised to allow extra time for their journeys, with work set to run until December.

Small numbers of properties in the area may temporarily lose their gas supply, although affected premises will be notified in advance and this will be restored on the same day.

Craig Horrocks, head of Cadent Gas’ mains replacement programme in the north west, said: “We’re upgrading this old cast iron pipe, which is about the diameter of a car tyre, so that we can ensure gas is safely distributed to thousands of homes in Warrington to fuel central heating systems and cook meals.

“Although we had planned to start on Monday, the success of Warrington Wolves has meant we’ve had to change our plans.

“We’ll now start this work a week later, which ensures there’s no risk of disrupting fans’ travel or any victory parade.

“We know our work, once underway, will cause disruption and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we carry out this essential work – we hope people understand the temporary traffic arrangements are there to ensure everyone’s safety.”