A VITAL £2m project to improve the water mains in Crook begins next week.

Work by Northumbrian Water to renew 28km of water network starts on Monday, and will continue for the next nine months.

The scheme is designed to improve the water quality in 2,000 homes in the town, as well as reducing the number of leaks.

The cost of work could increase to £2m depending on how much work is required.

Workmen will examine themains pipe to find out how much work is needed, before restoring and repairing drains, pipes and connections.

Project manager Ian Cunliffe said: "It is part of the original project to investigate the state of the existing water network and where work is required, we'll carry it out.

"The work is essential to safeguard the water supply for future generations. The water mains are very old in Crook - up to 100 years old, so this is part of Northumbrian Water's undertaking to address that."

It is expected that the work will continue into the first quarter of next year, but should be completed by the spring.

Mr Cunliffe said: "The vast majority of the work should be completed by the end of March. There might be some work still ongoing, but most of it will be finished by then."

There will be fewer incidents of discoloured water as well as a reduction in supply interruptions once the renovation is completed.

Residents are expected to be disrupted while the work is carried out, but the company has promised that potential problems will be few and far between.

"We're using non-intrusive techniques to minimise impact," said Mr Cunliffe. "There will be some cases where that is unavoidable, but we'll try to keep it to the minimum wherever possible."

Householders in Crook are being warned that bogus callers do operate in Northumbrian Water's supply area.

The company said it is unlikely that anyone from the water company will need access into a customer's property while the work is ongoing.

If customers are in any doubt about the validity of a caller claiming to be from Northumbrian Water, they are asked to ring the customer centre on 0845 717 1100.