A ROGUE water main which has burst many times over the past few months is to be investigated.

But it means that a section of Wakefield Road will be closed off during the night as the work is done over the next two weeks.

Next week Yorkshire Water officials will cut off the nine-inch pipe beneath Wakefield Road at it’s junction with Poplar Street and Chapel Lane.

They say the temperamental pipe is almost at the end of its operational life and has proved to be a weak spot in the underground mains network.

The work is part of a total of £480,000 which has been set aside to cover the cost of replacing worn pipes in the town.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: "We first need to dig down to thoroughly examine it and establish how much money we will need to spend.

"We hope we can replace it without having to close the road off in the future.’’

Project manager Lee Boshell said: "One of the biggest problems is that Wakefield Road is a busy street and there isn’t really a good time to dig it up.

"However, after consulting with the local highways authority, we’ve agreed the best way to establish the likely extent of repairs is to have a look underground at night.

"The crews will arrive on Monday and will work between 7pm and 6am for the next fortnight.

"We recognise there is still going to be some disruption, for which we’d like to apologise in advance, but we hope customers appreciate some inconvenience now is likely to mean they see less of us in the future."

Additional work will be required on mains in the area in the months to come, but many lie beneath side roads and the work is likely to have a lot less impact.

Neither Yorkshire Water nor contractors Balfour Beatty Utilities expect to need regular access to homes in the area.

And they are warning residents, particularly the elderly, to be on their guard of bogus workmen if they are approached by strangers claiming they need to be allowed into homes.

Thieves sometimes take advantage of major work nearby to try to trick their way in.

Yorkshire Water say genuine employees of both companies carry identity cards which can be checked by telephoning 0800 138 7878.

And they are advising people to check the identification, even if it means making the workmen wait.