LYMM village is facing ongoing severe traffic disruption as SP Energy Networks continues its major underground electricity cable reinforcement project.
Residents have ben reporting long delays, chaotic diversions, and growing safety concerns on residential streets, with the works now expected to run until August 2026.
Cllr Graham Gowland, Borough Councillor for Lymm South, said the impact on daily life had become unacceptable.
One resident described the situation bluntly: “It’s awful! I’m having to leave 30 minutes earlier for work and I really don’t have 30 minutes when I am up at 6 anyway! The diversions are ridiculous and too far out. I’m having to drive to outside of Lymm to go back around again on myself to get to Stockton Heath.” — Karen Rachel
Another resident on Sandy Lane appealed for witnesses after her parked car was hit for the second time in three days: “Since these roadworks have started, we’ve had tractors, lorries and so many cars coming up the road every single day… this is the second time in three days that our car has been hit and we don’t have anywhere else to park it.” — Kate Parkes
Local resident Andy Openshaw raised serious concerns about overlapping road closures: “Are they going to go ahead closing Rushgreen and Sandy Lane in parallel? That would be…. Interesting based on issues to date.”
He added:“It puts all traffic crossing the canal through the Mill Lane / Burford Lane lights, increasing queues for more of the day, and one high vehicle or accident blocks everything. It’ll likely be quicker to use the official 45-minute diversion than queue in Lymm. Still looks like 20-30 mins queue at Burford Lane at 18:45 this evening.” — Andy Openshaw
Other residents have also voiced their concerns: “People taking short cuts down Wet Gate Lane doing high speeds on single track lanes, currently very dangerous.” — Bridget Hogg
“Workers have gone through a gas main between Dunham lights and Dunham Massey.” — James Hurrell
“Not wanting to add insult to injury but there’s water seeping out of the recently dug up road opposite Woodlands Avenue. I’ve reported it.” — Richard Storey
Cllr Gowland said:“These are real people trying to get to work, school, appointments and caring responsibilities. The road network in Lymm has very little spare capacity, and when key routes are closed for weeks, the knock-on effects spread quickly across the village. While the long-term upgrade to our electricity supply is necessary, residents are rightly frustrated by the current level of disruption, poor sequencing and inadequate mitigation.”
Many residents who have already emailed the council and SP Energy Networks report receiving dismissive or copy-and-paste replies. Despite this, Cllr Gowland is strongly urging everyone affected to continue submitting their experiences.
“Volume matters. The only way the council and SPEN can fully understand the scale of the impact is if residents keep reporting what they are actually going through. Real examples, with dates, times, photos and specific locations, help build the evidence needed for better planning and stronger mitigation measures.”
Residents are asked to email their experiences to both addresses below:
Warrington Borough Council: contact@warrington.gov.uk SP Energy Networks (Lymm Reinforcement): lymmreinforcement@spenenquiries.co.uk
Cllr Gowland has already raised a formal question at Full Council about improving coordination between utilities and whether stronger measures, such as lane rental schemes, should be considered.
“Essential infrastructure work must happen, but it should not grind residents’ daily lives to a halt month after month. I will keep pressing for a more resident-focused approach as this project continues,” he added.
