13 May 2024 , 19:30
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Manchester United have put plans to fix their leaking roof on hold until a decision has been made on the future of Old Trafford.
Old Trafford was hit by a huge storm towards the end of Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, causing flooding to several areas, including the players' tunnel, away dressing room and seated areas. Water poured from the south-west corner of the stadium, while videos on social media showed water cascading under seats and also pouring down near the post-match interview area in the tunnel.
United said the waterfall-like flood in the south-west corner was caused by a high volume of water entering the siphonic roof drainage system so rapidly it caused it to overflow. Despite that, the club has acknowledged there are sporadic leaks in the Old Trafford roof, due to holes from wear and tear, which becomes a major issue during periods of heavy rainfall like Sunday.
United have looked at the feasibility of installing a new roof, but it is a costly project which is unlikely to be undertaken until a decision is reached on the bigger picture of the stadium redevelopment. Supporters were soaked by water dripping from a leak in the Stretford End back in September, when United lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace, with fans taking to social media to complain.
And in April 2019, just hours before the Manchester derby, a heavy thunderstorm led to water pouring from the roof onto the seats below, before United were beaten 2-0 by City. A mopping up operation was undertaken at Old Trafford in the wake of the latest downpour, with the stadium fully operational yesterday and visited by more than 700 fans throughout the day.
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United were keen to point out they were not the only ones affected by Sunday's heavy rain, with leaks reported at Manchester Airport and flooding at a nearby venue causing a concert to be cancelled. Workers were spotted high up on the East Stand on Monday, at the front of the stadium, but the work they were carrying out – painting a section of the facia boards – was pre-planned.
Water cascaded from Old Trafford's leaky roof (PA)United launched a Task Force in March, to explore all options with regard to redevelopment of Old Trafford, led by Lord Coe and also involving former defender turned Sky pundit Gary Neville. Among the options are knocking down Old Trafford and building a new state-of-the-art stadium on the same site, a project which could cost as much as £3billion.
Another option is to refurbish Old Trafford, which would not be as costly as razing the stadium to the ground, or take as long as building a completely new arena. Revamping Old Trafford has been estimated to cost around £1bn, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is leading the task force, is understood to prefer building a brand new stadium.
United have detailed plans in place for the replacement of the roof on the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and this remains an option under consideration. But it is a multi-million and multi-year piece of engineering work, which the club say would cause significant disruption to stadium operations, in particular matchdays.
The decision over whether to proceed with interim work on the roof of the stand is linked to what outcome is chosen with regard to the overall stadium redevelopment.
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