An environmental campaigner who watched her namesake being lowered into a 13-metre-deep pit said she is absolutely delighted! Jane Wilcock, a founder of the Friends of Harwood and Longsight Park , was the VIP guest at a major operation by United Utilities to improve water quality in Bolton’s Bradshaw Brook. In acknowledgement of Jane’s sterling efforts to improve the area, United Utilities named the innovative tunnelling machine after her. “It was a surprise and it will be exciting to see it launched.

Having a sewage tunnelling drill named Jane, I feel sure it will be reliable and get the job done,” said Jane. The 32-tonne machine has been lowered into a launch pit last and will now spend the next 87 days tunnelling a 900m route from Firwood industrial estate toward the arboretum before making a sharp turn back to its final destination in Longsight Park. When complete, the tunnels will store more than 3,000 cubic meters of storm water – the equivalent of nearly one and a half Olympic size swimming pools.

They will play a vital role in improving water quality in Bradshaw Brook, a tributary of the River Irwell, by reducing the number of times that storm overflows operate in heavy rainfall. Jane said: “The park was very run-down. It was very muddy with seats and a play area in disrepair, so we decided to take action to make repairs to the infrastructure.

” The group was aided by National Lottery grants, government funding and private philanthropy “Local people com.