A £21m programme to give Wirral's largest water pipes a deep clean is due to restart this week.

Water company United Utilities launched the scheme in September last year to clean or upgrade "trunk mains" on the peninsula.

These large pipes act as the "motorways of the local water network" - transporting millions of litres of water a day throughout the area.

Engineers are working on approximately 40 kilometres of pipes in Wallasey, Ellesmere Port and Birkenhead to clean and remove harmless sediment which has built up in the pipes over the years.

Where the old metal pipes are in a poor condition, they will be replaced with modern new plastic equivalents.

Following the Christmas holidays work will resume on Upton Road on Wednesday, January 5.

The work will progress along Upton Road and will continue through the roundabout where it meets Wirral Way and Warren Drive and finishing up at Upton railway station.

This section of work is expected to be ongoing until mid February.

Temporary three-way traffic lights will be set up on Upton Road at the roundabout where it meets Wirral Way.

A temporary road closure will also be put in place on Wirral Way for the duration of the work.

Customers requiring more information on the scheme can contact United Utilities on 0845 746 22 00 – quoting project number 80023407.